From 1968, it functioned as an exit off of I-71 and side streets, terminating at Denison Road and serving businesses in the industrial valley.

As traffic volumes to suburbs such as Parma and Parma Heights increased – and to relieve traffic from I-77 to I-480 – the freeway portion of the route (known as the Jennings Freeway) was extended as originally planned to I-480 and Brookpark Road (SR 17), opening December 8, 1998.

After the completion of I-77, SR 176 was relocated along Wheatley Road and moved on to I-77 from exits 143 to 138, before rejoining its original alignment.

Since the relocation of SR 176 onto the Jennings Freeway in 1998, this roadway was intended to be turned over from the state system to the local government ("J" suffix meaning "awaiting abandonment").

[5][6] The road was kept under state maintenance until it was turned over to the city of Cleveland between 2015 and 2017.