In the Tom Root Aerial Photographs collection of the
Sandusky Library Archives Research Center are several images of the
State Route 2 Bypass under construction. (Before this, Route 2 went through Sandusky.) The picture above was taken by
photographer and pilot Tom Root on July 3, 1961. In the bottom right portion of
the picture, you can see the on and off ramps being built. The large white
rectangular object north of the ramps is the quarry just off State Route 250.
In this photo, taken September 1, 1963, the new highway was completed from the
Route 250 exit to the Route 101 Exit. The highway is a distinct white line through the gray of the land around it. You can see
the city of Sandusky in the upper left hand portion of the picture, and the
coal docks jutting out into the bay.
This image was taken on June 27, 1964.
The railroad yards appear dark in this view, located
close to the Ford plant (now Ventra Sandusky.) The State Route 2 highway can be seen
along the bottom edge of the picture.
By 1968, when Mr. Root took this picture, the Thomas A. Edison Bridge was open, and a large portion of the
State Route 2 Bypass was complete. Some sections of the highway were not
completed until years later.
In the view above, the heavily wooded area on the bottom left hand part of the picture is the southernmost part of the Village of Bay View. You can see State Route 2 as it winds through
Erie County, and heads out over the Sandusky Bay, enabling a swift
connection between Ottawa and Erie County.
Governor James A. Rhodes cut the
ribbon when the Thomas A. Edison Bridge was officially dedicated on December
17, 1965, though some of the exits were still under construction at that time.
Known fondly by locals as “the bypass,” the renovation of State Route 2 in the
1960s (and beyond) greatly assisted North Coast tourists to to travel quickly
to the lake, Cedar Point, and on to Toledo and Cleveland, without a lot of stop
signs and speed reductions through populated areas that they had encountered on
old Route 2.
I remember when the Edison Bridge opened for traffic. We spent many summer days going over the old Bay Bridge to East Harbor. I was afraid of the Bay Bridge because it lifted up to let boats through, I always thought we might drive right off into the water. I remember driving over the Edison bridge for the first time, my dad had us all pile into our car, it was evening and the bridge was totally lit up. It was a marvel to my 5 year old eyes, so high up off the water and so bright at night, it was shiny and new and so modern!
ReplyDeleteRt 2 bypass was completed from Huron to Rt 6. Travel was across the old bridge, through Bay View and to Venice where you would turn right onto Rt.6 and onto the Rt 2 bypass. At that point in '63 it was named the Jackie Mayer Highway. Rt 2 continued on to Huron where the "Jackie Mayer" would end. You would then drive through town on Rt 2&6 and reenter Rt 2 bypass at Rt 61.
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