LORAIN, Ohio — A Lorain man's social media video sparked a renewed push for repairs to the East 28th Street railroad bridge in Lorain, but what’s happened since News 5 first reported on this in April?
RELATED: Federal agency, Lorain mayor weigh in on safety of East 28th Street bridge
Months later, we’ve finally got some answers.
Since then, city leaders have been pushing for an in-person meeting between the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT,) the railroad owner, CSX and the city engineer. City leaders said a visit to the bridge is planned for Thursday, June 12.
“Try to establish a relationship [with CSX,] bring them over to Lorain, let them see it, not just pictures, but see it up close and personal,” said Lorain Mayor Jack Bradley. “And show that maybe some debris might fall in the street, a car might get a flat tire, maybe a car will be damaged, maybe a person on a bicycle, who is walking might get injured.”
While CSX hasn’t responded to an inquiry for this We Follow Through update, back in April, the company told News 5’s Tiffany Tarpley, “The 28th Street bridge in Lorain, Ohio was inspected in November 2024 and determined safe for railroad operations. While we can understand that some residents may have concerns related to a bridge’s appearance it is important to note that CSX prioritizes the investment of its resources in ensuring safety and improving rail infrastructure reliability over aesthetics.”
Following our most recent request, ODOT has sent its visual inspection report of the bridge, dated June 2024. It states the deck, superstructure, and substructure are in “poor” condition. ODOT said it's indicative of advanced deterioration. However, “poor” is not the lowest rating possible. Serious, critical, imminent failure and failed are among the lowest categories.
CSX owns and maintains the bridge.
“While CSX is responsible for maintenance and inspection, ODOT does perform visual inspections of all bridges that pass over U.S. and State Routes within municipalities to ensure the public’s safety. The reports are then shared with the maintaining agency for their knowledge and to make any repairs,” said ODOT Northeast Ohio Public Information Officer Amanda McFarland.
She said the agency will continue to partner with the city regarding the condition of the bridge.
Lorain Safety Service Director Rey Carrion used to serve as a councilman in the same ward where the bridge is located and has also organized community cleanups at the bridge.
“We know that the bridge is inspected annually, but there’s always been concerns about the look of the bridge,” he said. “What we want to make sure, the mayor and our administration through the mayor, is to make sure that not only is it structurally safe, but that it looks good, we want it cleaned up… we just don’t want old, rusted looking bridges in our city.”
Carrion said he has received calls that people are avoiding the underpass because they're afraid the bridge is going to collapse.
"It’s not going to fall down, there are folks that are professionals that are looking at this, that have assured that the structure is safe, but the repairs that are needed will be addressed,” he said.
