Thursday, January 12, 2017

Finishing Ohio Route 2

While the Generation Gap was a big deal in the 1960s, there was another gap at that time that was probably of more interest to Lorain Countians.

That was the Vermilion Gap, the unfinished portion of Route 2 between Baumhart Road and Huron.

I've mentioned before how Ohio Route 2 was built in stages, and the above article – which appeared in the Journal on January 5, 1967 – explains how the Vermilion Gap was going to eventually be eliminated by 1973.

According to the article, there was supposed to be an interchange at Vermilion Road. I guess the highway designers decided to move it a little east, perhaps to avoid dealing with the river right there.

And the “super dooper” roadside park mentioned in the article did became a reality, with a trail leading down to a river view. (I haven’t walked it since the late 70s; maybe I’m overdue.)

The “Super Dooper” roadside park on Route 2
I've done quite a few posts on the “new" Route 2, which shouldn’t be surprising since it had and continues to have a big impact on our lives in Lorain County. Topics included the Oak Point interchange, the American flag overlooking the highway, a 1966 construction progress report, and the opening of the portion from Baumhart to State Route 61 in 1975.

2 comments:

Dennis Thompson said...

The roadside park with the great view of the Vermilion River make that rest area unique. I stopped there one time and a wedding was taking place! It's not often you hear about a couple getting married at a rest stop.

Mark said...

I have vague memory of (what I think) was construction of route 60 to baumhart section, but it would have been in mid to late 70's.