The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
New lights installed at 21st Street underpass
Motorists traveling at night in Lorain will have an easier time navigating the 21st Street underpass with the installation of new lights.
Lorain City Councilman at-Large Mitch Fallis spearheaded a project to make the underpass, just east of Elyria Avenue, safer.
“I was traveling on 21st Street heading to the east side at night sometime last summer, and I couldn’t help but notice the lights were out. It was dark and hard to see as I drove under the underpass,” Fallis said. “Safety is always the top priority when making changes for me, so this was something I was really motivated to get done.”
Fallis said he started out by calling Ohio Edison.
“I had to call them a couple of times and they sent a group out,” he said. “The funny thing was they actually replaced the lights at the Henderson Bridge, so there was a bit of miscommunication at first.
“They then looked at the underpass and said it would be too costly to replace the housing of the lights because of how old they were, so it would be better to get all new lights.”
Fallis said he initially got the ball rolling in September.
Fallis said he mentioned the lighting concerns again in January to Mayor Jack Bradley and Safety-Service Director Max Upton.
“Max found the money for it with grant funding, and that was how it unfolded,” he said.
Fallis said he is very satisfied with the finished product.
“I am very pleased with the lights,” he said. “The underpass is really illuminated now, and the design of the lights are beautiful as well.
“A lot of folks have also taken notice of the lights. I posted a picture of the lights to ‘Lorain Ohio by photos’ on Facebook, and the photo got 800 likes. I could not have envisioned it any better.”
Fallis said it was great to see the project come to fruition.
“I really love the fact that I was able to see it to completion,” he said. “My wife, Vivian, knew how much I wanted to see it done, so she took me out to dinner on Friday (May 8).
“After dinner, she took me to the underpass because I hadn’t seen the lights yet, and I was amazed. I can’t thank Ohio Edison, the mayor and his administration enough for really making this happen.”