ELYRIA, Ohio — The City of Elyria is receiving a $1.4 million Ohio Department of Transportation grant to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
The money will be used to improve key sections of Burns and Abbe roads. Improvement plans include the construction of new sidewalks and shared-use pathways, along with a pedestrian-activated crossing signal at the intersection of Burns Road and Hillcrest Lane.
"About two weeks ago, we got notification from ODOT that they were going to completely fund, which means no matching dollars required from the City of Elyria," Elyria's Mayor Kevin Brubaker said. "There's about $300,000 of engineering and design, and the balance of that will be construction."
The city started looking into improving safety in the area late last year after a 9-year-old boy was killed while riding his bike in October.
Police said Tide Bartlett was hit by a car on Burns Road as it tried to maneuver around him. A 10-year-old was seriously injured as well.
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This prompted Tide's mother to request safety improvements from the city, which led to the city applying for this grant.
Currently, Brubaker estimates the construction timeline to be around 2027 to 2028, but engineers are continuing to meet with ODOT as they begin the design phase.
The mayor also added that when the project is complete, he wants to put a sign on Burns Road to honor Tide Bartlett.
