MENTOR, Ohio — Thousands of drivers travel State Route 2 in Lake County every day, and many of them have been frustrated for years by lights that aren't working along the highway.
State Route 2 cuts through Wickliffe, Willowick, Eastlake, Willoughby, Mentor and Painesville, and the lights lining the highway haven't been doing much to light the way.
Dan Hopperton is one of the Lake County residents frustrated by driving in the dark.
"I think they ought to fix them, somebody should," Hopperton said.
Lake County Commissioner Morris Beverage III said the issue has been a persistent concern.
"Easily one of my top 5 complaints as a county commissioner,” said Beverage. “What's going on with lights," he said.
Now, Beverage says a solution is in the works. The county and the six cities are close to a new agreement.
A contract signed in the 1970s by the cities allowed the county engineer to handle maintenance of the road, and that contract will expire at the end of this year.
"I think that we're pretty close to getting this adopted by cities and the engineer's office," Beverage said.
The new contract will include road maintenance as well as the Route 2 lighting project. Some of the funding will come from the county's permissive motor vehicle tax fund.
"There is about a $1.8 million balance in the fund that I’m speaking of, we plan on spending down that $1.8 million dollar balance that will then pay for the lighting project,” Beverage said.
Once the new contract is signed, the engineer's office will put the job out to bid. Beverage said the work could start as early as spring, if all the cities and the county agree and sign on soon.
