LORAIN, Ohio — A walk home turned into an eye-opening experience for a Lorain man.
Phillip. L. Kimbro said it was so troubling that he decided to pull out his cell phone and record. What he saw underneath the railroad bridge surprised him.
“The structure and the foundation is like, it’s corroded and the more cars and trucks that go up under there, and the more that water comes down those pipes, whatever that water is, coming down, it’s corroding it,” he said. “In order for that to be rusted like that, it seemed like the whole underpath must have been submerged up underwater.”
The railroad bridge is on East 28th Street. Kimbro posted the video on social media, where hundreds shared and commented.
It got the attention of Lorain’s Safety Service Director, Rey Carrion. He sent a statement to News 5 that said the city made contact with an “ODOT, District 3 Bridge Engineer, and with a representative of CSX Railroad.”
Carrion said there will be a meeting soon.
I reached out to CSX, which sent a statement stating that safety is its number one priority. “The company focuses first and foremost on maintaining the safety and structural integrity of the bridges on its network.” The company said it prioritizes investment in "ensuring safety and improving rail infrastructure reliability over aesthetics."
CSX also examines its structures thoroughly at least once a calendar year to ensure that they meet or exceed regulatory requirements.
“The 28th Street bridge in Lorain, Ohio was inspected in November 2024 and determined safe for railroad operations.”
Kimbro said it should be repaired.
“I believe the city needs to go over there and look at that and try to fix it up,” he said. “I figured I’d just let people know what it looked like, cause some people probably drove up under there and never knew what it looked like, and most people that probably walked up under there, probably didn’t pay attention.”
