Routes 57 and 254 Collision Course – October 1953 & 1963

The intersection of State Routes 57 and 254 was in the news for the same thing – auto accidents – in both October 1953 and 1963.

In October 1953, the new State Route 57 had just officially opened on the first day of the month. The old Route 57 had followed Lake Avenue into Elyria. The new route extended along E. 28th Street to Grove Avenue, and then south on the new divided four-lane highway into Elyria.

And it was on the very first day that the new highway was open that the first accident occurred on it. 

The article below, which appeared in the Lorain Journal on October 2, 1953, noted "A car carrying two teen-agers was hit broadside at the intersection of newly opened Route 57 and Route 254 last night when it turned into the path of an oncoming automobile."

It was an inauspicious beginning for that intersection.

Exactly ten years later on October 1, 1963, the intersection was still in the news for the wrong reason. As the article below from the October 1, 1963 Journal noted, "Lorain county continues to have the dubious distinction of having the third most dangerous intersection in the state within its boundaries.

"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," the article notes.

"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 per week.

"One of the big reasons for the high collision toll is the tremendous amount of traffic carried by both Rt. 57 and Rt. 254.

"Route 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."

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State Route 57 going from Lorain to Elyria was a much-used road by my family while I was growing up in the 1960s. 

We followed it via E. 28th Street to South Lorain, because Hills Department Store was located on it. Kmart and Pic-Way Shoes were on Route 57 as well. 

We also took Route 57 to pick up the Ohio Turnpike in Elyria. And before the new limited-access State Route 2 from Route 57 to 58 was opened in the late 1960s, we had to take State Route 254 home after getting off the Turnpike. (That meant we got to see the "rocking man" sign on the E. H. Roberts building at the particular intersection of 254 and 57.) 

I also remember my father taking Route 254 when he took my brothers and me to Indian games in the 1960s and early 1970s. He made the connection with US Route 6 in Rocky River and then followed it the rest of the way into Cleveland.

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And here are some recent views – in sequence – of the intersection of Rt. 254 and Rt. 57, approaching it from the south while driving north on 57.

As you can see, every effort has been made to try and make things safer, with a concrete barrier separating the lanes and a sign alerting motorists to an impending traffic light. Note the billboard advertising E. H. Roberts, which for years was located at that intersection.

This shot (below) shows how there are now two left turning lanes for drivers wishing to head west on N. Ridge Road. Note that Route 254 no longer is marked as such going west.

Speaking of E. H. Roberts, you can see the former home of the 'rocking man' on the right (east side) of the highway at the intersection.

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Lastly, here's part of a 1920s Cleveland Automobile Club map showing the old alignment of State Route  57 going into Elyria by way of Lake Avenue.

Roads shown as a solid line are "improved roads." Roads with an alternating white and black pattern are "gravel, slag or cinder roads." Roads that are depicted as an open line (neither solid nor the pattern) are "unimproved" roads.