Rep. Brennan Announces Passage of HB 381 out of Transportation Committee

COLUMBUS – State Rep. Sean Patrick Brennan (Parma) today announced that he has introduced legislation, HB 381, to designate exit 12A at W. 150th Street off of I-480 in Cleveland as the “Louis P. Shuster Memorial Interchange.”

“Naming the West 150th Street exit in honor of Brother Lou is a beautiful tribute that his fellow union brothers and sisters will see each shift they go to work in the train yard,” said Rep. Brennan. “It will also remind us of all of the importance of rail safety and of being extra cautious when entering a railroad intersection.”

On March 7, 2023, Lou Shuster, a proud member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainman (BLET), was riding his Norfolk-Southern railcar near the Cleveland Cliffs steel mill in Cleveland, when around 1:19 am, a dump truck driver stopped at a stop sign at the railroad tracks and then proceeded forward, striking the front left side of the first train car. Shuster was positioned on the outside of the train car and was struck and crushed. Shuster was only 46 years old.

Beginning his railroad career as a conductor in 2005, after serving our country in the U.S. Army, Shuster was promoted to locomotive engineer in 2014. He became a member of the Brother of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen in 2016 and served on the Board as the Veterans Affairs Delegate for Norfolk-Southern and the Wheeling-Lake Erie. He was a resident of Broadview Heights and a 1995 graduate of South High in Cleveland. He is survived by his beloved son Ethan.

HB 381 passed the Ohio House Transportation Committee unanimously on February 13th and is now on its way to the House floor for consideration.