Elyria will receive $4.5 million for road improvements where boy was killed, other projects

ELYRIA — Roughly a year and a half after a 9-year-old boy was killed while riding his bike on Burns Road, the city has secured funding to overhaul pedestrian safety features in the area, as well as for other infrastructure projects. City Engineer John Schneider announced at a Finance Committee meeting on Monday that the city would receive $1.28 million to add bike paths, sidewalks and pedestrian crossings in the area around the intersection of Burns Road and Abbe Road North and Hilltop Park. The city sought the money to make the area safer after Bryant "Tide" Bartlett was hit by a car and killed while biking on Burns Road in October 2024. His friend, Aiden Helland, 10, was also injured in the crash. The driver was not charged after an investigation by Elyria police. The work around Hilltop Park was just one of four major road projects that be receiving state or federal money that Schneider presented to the committee Monday. Other projects will include the resurfacing of Second Street and replacement of a traffic light, the resurfacing of Murray Ridge Road in both the city and in Elyria Township and major repairs to the East Broad Street Bridge. In total, the four projects will bring over $4.5 million in state and federal investment to the city's infrastructure. Schneider presented limited partnership agreements, or LPAs, between the city and the Ohio Department of Transportation for all four projects on Monday. All four were unanimously approved by the committee, and will go before Council as a whole next Monday for final approval. Burns Road and Abbe Road North The largest project is the one driven by tragedy, as Schneider said Ohio has committed $1,282,275 to improve pedestrian and bike infrastructure around the intersection of Burns Road and Abbe Road North. The city will be required to contribute a 10 percent match, but Schneider said it may have to chip in more that the required $128,000 to fully fund the project. Schneider said that the full plans for the work are still in progress, but it would include the addition of sidewalks on both sides of Burns Road, flashing pedestrian crossing beacons across Burns Road and a multiuse/bike path on the eastern side of Abbe Road North that would traverse the campus of Lorain County Community College. It will also install sidewalks on the west side of Abbe Road North that will run all the way from Briar Lake Drive in the south to Antioch Drive in the north. Schneider said that this sidewalk would provide pedestrian connectivity from the city to the businesses to the north in Sheffield, and was a crucial part of acquiring the state funding. "As I told you the few times you have been up here (to talk about this), this is a great thing to happen for that area of town," said Councilman Chad Schneider, D-at-Large. Chad Schneider, who is not related to John Schneider, asked if the intersection of Burns Road and Abbe Road North already has pedestrian signals or if they would be added. John Schneider said the intersection does have signals but there is no push button to trigger them, and he would review if adding buttons could be fit into the project budget. The city also secured $1.28 million in funding for a project to repair and improve the East Broad Street Bridge. John Schneider said that the money would be federal discretionary funding secured by the city's lobbying firm, McCaulley and Co. The money will be used to clear debris from and improve the channels under the bridge that allow water to pass through, as well as for the resurfacing of the deck of the bridge, which carries the road across. Any cost over the $1.28 million would need to be covered by the city, but John Schneider said he did not expect the costs to overrun the federal funding. Another project that the city will receive federal funding for is the reconstruction of Secon Street in downtown Elyria. The Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, or NOACA, will grant approximately $1 million to Elyria for the project. John Schneider said that project would allow the city to mill and replace the surface of Second Street, replace the traffic light at the intersection of Second Street and East Avenue and install improved crosswalks. The project will be an 80-20 split between NOACA and the city, but Schneider said the costs probably would run higher than the $1 million NOACA would provide and he expected to go back before Council during the project to ask for additional funds to complete it. The city's portion of the funding will come out of the municipal motor vehicle fund. Finally, the committee also approved a limited partnership for a long-awaited project: The resurfacing of Murray Ridge Road. ODOT, Elyria and Elyria Township will partner to resurface a badly deteriorated portion of Murray Ridge Road that runs through the city and the township. The state has committed $1,065,437 for the Murray Ridge Road project, while the city and township are expected to cover the remaining $266,359 of the cost. However, John Schneider said, the city and township have been "unofficially" informed that they will not have to pay this portion themselves, but will instead receive money from the Ohio Public Works Commission to cover it. In addition to resurfacing the road, John Schneider said the project would also "shore up" the edges of the road in hopes of helping the surface last longer than it did in the past. Councilwoman Brenda Davis, D-2nd Ward, commended Schneider and the city's Engineering Department for the work they put in to secure money for so many projects. "This is great that you were able to obtain these funds for our city, and it is well appreciated," Davis said on Monday. "We appreciate your working for the community. We are just here to serve the people, and this is a sure sign that this is what we are doing. To make better roads and a better way of life for the residents or those travelling in and out of our city. Thank you for the work you are doing." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.