ELYRIA, Ohio — The Lorain County Engineer’s Office is making changes to a dangerous intersection in Elyria.
The engineer’s office approved changes to the intersection of Russia and Oberlin roads after a series of serious crashes, with three fatalities in the month of October.
Signs are currently in place warning drivers of the change from a two-way stop to a four-way stop that begins on Nov. 3.
There are rumble strips on Oberlin Road southbound to warn drivers of the intersection, but none for northbound traffic.
Local leaders are requesting that the rumble strips be added for northbound traffic, but the engineer’s office said they were removed in the past because residents complained of the noise.
Oberlin Fire Chief Robert Hanmer said recently a cornfield has been planted at the southwest corner of the intersection that may block the view of some traffic. Chief Hanmer said he’s concerned about drivers who aren’t familiar with driving on rural roads not paying attention.
“This year in particular, we've responded there eight times for some serious crash crashes,” Hanmer said. “It's not the first year that we've had this many accidents, but the amount of damage that we've seen in the most recent crashes just drew our attention and something needed done.”
The engineer’s office is also in the process of having a consultant look at whether the intersection needs a traffic signal.
From there, the Ohio Department of Transportation controls what traffic safety measures can be approved.
