The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City opens High Bridge Road span
Officials mark opening of new structure over railroad tracks
After 30 years without a bridge, Vermilion’s High Bridge Road now lives up to its name.
City officials and residents gathered at the bridge Oct. 30 to formally open the new concrete structure over the railroad tracks.
Joining the north and south stretches of the roadway is a driving convenience and business development tool, said Mayor Jim Forthofer.
The new bridge serves a city different from when the old bridge was built in 1900, Forthofer said.
It will aid the area around state Route 2 and U.S. 6, which is Liberty Avenue and Vermilion’s business corridor, he said.
More importantly, the 115-footlong bridge will cut travel time for police, ambulances and especially fire trucks coming from the city’s east side Station No. 2, which sits on Overlook Drive about a mile away, the mayor said.
Police Chief Chris Hartung and fire Chief Chris Stempowski represented the safety forces that will benefit from the bridge.
Forthofer estimated response times would drop from about 6 minutes and 45 seconds to 2½
“This bridge makes a difference in many cases between them having a successful response, or not.”
— Mayor Jim Forthofer
minutes as firefighters traveled from Station No. 2 to the south part of High Bridge Road.
“In emergencies, seconds count and this bridge shaves literally minutes off of response time,” he said.
That means a lot to a resident who has a heart attack or a baby not breathing or a house burning or is bleeding due to a car crash, Forthofer said.
“This bridge makes a difference in many cases between them having a successful response, or not,” he said.
The bridge opening means a lot to many people, Forthofer said.
Guests included residents Earl Hardway and William Eichelberger, who remembered the old bridge.
Sharon “Sue” Stempowski, who is the mother of fire Chief Stempowski, was invited to wield the scissors to cut the ceremonial blue ribbon stretched across the bridge deck.
“It was just so nice seeing this open,” said Sharon Stempowski, who served on Vermilion City Council from 1978 to 1982. “I kept waiting and waiting.
“I hope it never comes to having to save a life. But it’s a blessing to have it done.”
The old bridge was well used, carrying cars, trucks and Firelands Local Schools buses, said Hardway.
An Army veteran who served in the Korean War, Hardway moved to Vermilion in 1956 and to High Bridge Road in 1960.
Not every resident was happy, however.
After the ceremony, Barbara Fries, a bridge neighbor to the south, approached the mayor to ask questions about safety concerns and the costs of the project.
“I just wanted the people to know that there are safety issues that are being created,” Fries said.
For example, the bridge is wider than the existing narrow High Bridge Road, which does not have center or edge lines.
Fries and bridge neighbor Robert Wright, whose parents live just north of the structure, also questioned whether drivers will obey speed limits on the street.
“I had a question for the mayor, and he turned his back on me,” Fries said, although she added Forthofer and Valerius agreed to meet and talk at a later date. “I just want the people to know how the government is spending their money.”
Wright and his mother, Wanda Wright, have spoken publicly about how the approach to the bridge has changed the elevation of the driveway and front yard of the Wrights’ home at 930 High Bridge Road.
The family also lost a second driveway that ran south of their house to the rear of the residence for propane delivery.
Wright also questioned the improvement in fire engine response times because from Station No. 2, firefighters can travel to Sunnyside Road to head south.
Speaking to Fries, city Service Director Tony Valerius noted the bridge design had approval from the Ohio Department of Transportation.
The project cost more than $2 million.
Vermilion had an 8020 split with the Ohio Department of Transportation, with ODOT covering 80 percent of the project cost, or about $1.4 million, according to city figures.
Howard P. Huebner, district deputy director for ODOT District 3 in Ashland, was among those attending.
The state transportation agency and staff were happy to be part of the project, Huebner said.
“As we move forward in the state of Ohio, our goal is to improve the mobility of people and goods and to improve safety,” he said. “From what I can see, this does improve safety for the city, it does improve mobility.”
In the last three years, ODOT has partnered with communities and county engineers to build 37 such structures, Huebner said.
“So, we are committed to quality, we’re committed to safety, we’re committed to the efficient movement of people and goods,” he said.
In City Hall, an ordinance from Aug. 7, 1989, instructed the mayor to make arrangements to replace the High Bridge Road bridge, Forthofer said.
“I can only assume that my predecessors looked at the cost of the bridge, and that’s why it’s taken 30 years,” he said.
Forthofer credited his predecessor, mayor Eileen Bulan, and former City Engineer Lynn Miggins for their work.
He also thanked his administration and City Council for their efforts.
The city of Vermilion generally refers to the roadway as Highbridge Road.
The official map of the Lorain County Engineer’s Office refers to it as High Bridge Road.