Lorain man hopes to see crosswalk at Meister, Oberlin intersection

LORAIN — Jonathan Kahn frequently walks from his West 29th Street home to the Raceway gas station off Oberlin Avenue and Meister Road. The gas station is on the same side of the street, and it's often as close as the 61-year-old gets to the bustling intersection, with five lanes moving traffic. The daunting intersection is a barrier to the McDonald's, three gas stations and a CVS Pharmacy. It has faded painted lines to denote where pedestrians walk, but little else. There are no crosswalk signs, and there have not been any in the eight years Kahn has lived on West 29th Street and walked to the gas station where his friends work, he said. His home health aide, Kristian Wright, said crossing that intersection has been one of Kahn's goals. "We've been doing it together. I don't think he'll do it by himself — maybe that's why he wants the signal there so it'll make him feel more comfortable," she said. Khan said he has crossed the intersection himself, but it is "getting awfully bad." The intersection is listed for crossing improvements including pedestrian signals and high-visibility crosswalks on the city's most recent Active Transportation Plan. Oberlin Avenue between West 26th Street and Meister Road is listed as an area of concern for pedestrians and cyclists — with a high concentration of fatal and severe crashes — according to that plan. "I almost got hit a couple of times," Khan said. "I wasn't hurt or anything, but we need to do something about this. … They need to do something about it before somebody gets hurt — seriously hurt." Oberlin Avenue between state Route 611 and Tower Boulevard also encompasses Washington Elementary School, General Johnnie Wilson Middle School and Lorain High School. An Ohio Department of Transportation analysis saw a high demand for bicycle and pedestrian improvements in that area. But when those improvements come depends on funding. Last April, the city entered into a cooperative agreement with ODOT for design services for pedestrian safety improvements at 33 locations throughout the city — including along Oberlin Avenue. The intersection is one of a several dozen mentioned by the plan. It is unclear when work will begin on Oberlin Avenue and Meister Road. Civil Engineer Veronica Newsome said in a text message that the city did painting and curb improvements to the area a few years ago, but it is part of the Oberlin Avenue corridor she wants to target with the Ohio Department of Transportation. "We have been doing incremental improvements with the funding available," she said. Contact Carissa Woytach at (440) 329-7245 or cwoytach@chroniclet.com.