It’s been one of the busiest intersections in Lorain County for a long time. Even back in 1963, it had achieved some notoriety (and not because the E. H. Roberts building was located there).
Read all about it in the article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal back on October 1, 1963. It’s interesting in that it reminds us that in those days (prior to the construction of I-90) that “Rt. 254 offers the best route into Downtown Cleveland unless a motorist wants to take one of the other routes such as Rt. 20 or 10."
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Intersection Still Is Bad
By DICK DiLUCIANO
The intersection, Rt. 254 and Rt. 57, midway between Elyria and Lorain, ranks third as far as total number of accidents is concerned and may rank higher as far as property damage is concerned.
Some of the county’s most spectacular accidents occur at the heavily-traveled intersection.
Despite the fact that the state is constantly bettering the traffic-light system at the intersection, the accident toll continues to climb at its present rate of about seven or eight accidents each week.
Not all the mishaps occur in the confines of the intersection. Many of them are scattered about within a one or two-mile radius of the two roads.
One of the big reasons for the high collision toll is the tremendous amount of traffic carried by both Rt. 57 and Rt. 254.
Rt. 254 offers the best route into Downtown Cleveland unless a motorist wants to take one of the other routes such as Rt. 20 or 10 which are packed with semi-trucks.
Rt. 57 is the main route between Lorain and Elyria.
Also adding to the problem is the number of business places which are located on Rt. 254. Two of the county’s largest stores, O’Neil’s and Ontario’s, are both located on Rt. 254.
Hills Department Store on Rt. 57 and Homewood Dr. in Lorain attracts large numbers of motorists from the south side of Rt. 254.
The light system at Rt. 254 is plentiful, if not adequate.
Traffic is regulated by radar, which changes the lights according to the amount of traffic.
If motorists would rely strictly on light commands, it is doubtful that as many collisions would occur each year.
They don’t, and as a result many rear-end collisions and “cut-in” accidents do occur.
Another factor in the accident rate is the 60-mile-per-hour daytime speed limit on Rt. 57.
A motorist racing along at 60-miles-per-hour has, unless alert, trouble stopping for traffic once he comes to the intersection.
State patrol officials and state highway workers have no solution in mind as far as reducing accidents at the intersection.
As long as the human element controls the automobile, there is little they can hope to accomplish with regulated traffic flow and speed limits.
As a veteran of numerous childhood pre Ohio Turnpike and I-90 trips between Amherst and Cleveland via Route 254, my main memory remains what seemed the interminable time required to make the trip. Probably the most enjoyable part of the trip was the portion of the journey between the Routes 254 and 57 junction and Rocky River. That stretch of Route 254 was through a relatively rural country of residences, farmland and greenhouses. That portion of the route now includes the commercial sections of Sheffield, Avon, Crocker Park, and Westlake --- a nightmare of traffic. A similar trip to Cleveland on Route 254 today would take much longer then it did when I was a kid. Hard to believe.
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