The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Broadway resurfacing underway
Project part of U.S. 6 paving
The U.S. Route 6 paving project in Lorain has taken a planned southern turn onto Broadway.
Crews continue to remove the top layer of asphalt and put down a new road surface on Route 6, which is Erie Avenue in Lorain.
On Sept. 8, workers and subcontractors of Chagrin Valley Paving Inc. veered off West Erie Avenue to strip the top layer of asphalt from Broadway, which also is state Route 57 in Lorain.
That stretch of Broadway was included for resurfacing in the original plans of the Ohio Department of Transportation but not included in the 2016 resurfacing of Route 57 because city officials wanted more time to accommodate a possible Broadway streetscape project.
Adding new lights, sidewalks, curbs signs and traffic flow to Broadway still could happen. This summer, the Northeast
Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency approved $1.5 million toward the project in its 2018-2021 Transportation Improvement Program.
When the streetscape is ready, it will require removal of only a relatively small portion of the new pavement, said Lorain City Engineer Dale Vandersommen.
In the near term, it did not appear the project would interfere with the FireFish Festival planned on Broadway Oct. 6 and 7, Vandersommen said.
“It’s hard to predict, but we discussed the situation with the creators of FireFish and they indicated that even if the pavement is milled, that won’t be prohibitive to what they want to do,” Vandersommen said.
On Sept. 8, curbside parking was prohibited on Broadway while crews removed the top coat of asphalt. It appeared parking would not be allowed for the coming week or so.
Broadway merchants took it in stride.
Jani Oehlke, owner of the 530 Shop Ltd., at 530 Broadway, said she found out about the parking situation at 4 p.m. the day before from Councilman Dennis Flores, whose Ward 2 includes downtown Lorain.
More advance notice would have been nice, said Oehlke, who deals in antiques, collectibles and home décor.
Her shop has become a destination for customers from as far as Wisconsin and Ontario due to its online presence, Oehlke said.
“I’m looking forward to our new street, though,” Oehlke said.
She has a list of suggestions for possible improvements, such as more places to eat and ways to make Broadway easier to navigate for walkers.
There is a lighted warning sign near West Fourth Street for drivers on Broadway. Terry Kushinski, owner of Kush Custom Cabinetry, 842 and 846 Broadway, said he saw the lighted sign at 3 p.m., Sept. 7, but did not see its full message about the project.
“At seven o’clock this morning, I figured it out,” he said as he and his workers stood outside the shop watching the pavement grinder and dump trucks go by.
Kushinski has questioned whether the Broadway streetscape is too grand and he said the facades of Broadway’s buildings need work.
“This is maintenance that’s got to be done but it’s not going to solve the bigger issues,” Kushinski said about the new pavement.
The construction work is inconvenient but Broadway will look better when it is done, said Carl Nielsen, co-owner of Nielsen Jewelers, 753 Broadway.
“I’m amazed at how quickly they put this stuff down,” Nielsen said.
He noted on West Erie Avenue from Baumhart Road to Oak Point Road, the crews worked quickly to pave that area.
“In a week’s time, it will be fine,” he said. “It’s a good thing we’re doing this. It’s progress.”
Chagrin Valley Paving will have a week extension for the project completion date to Oct. 23.
The company will combine its final two phases of the project and were to begin grinding pavement off East Erie Avenue, east of the Charles Berry Bascule Bridge, as early as Sept. 8, according to ODOT.
In the near term, it did not appear the project would interfere with the FireFish Festival planned on Broadway Oct. 6 and 7, Vandersommen said.