KYTC announces design for 4th Street replacement bridge between Covington and Newport – WKRC TV Cincinnati

COVINGTON, Ky. (WKRC)- Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Project Director Cory Wilson said the priority for the new bridge is safety for both drivers and pedestrians.

“Obviously we’ve put a high priority on pedestrian access. You can see that in the shared use pass on each side of the bridge, but also something that’s safer for motorists to cross as well,” Wilson said.

The number one issue is the number of lanes, both communities want to keep it at three lanes and not add a fourth, because as we all know, that will induce more people to drive and will have more speeding and reckless drivers going through our neighborhood.

Matt Butler, President and Founder of the Devou Good Foundation and a pedestrian safety advocate has been leading a push for more bike and walking space in the new design.

He said people are happy to see that the selected design features separated traffic lanes from the pedestrian use area.

“Crossing the bridge should be safer for everybody on bikes. It looks like it will be accessible, which the current bridge isn’t because the sidewalks have very odd angles that go around light poles,” Butler said.

It’s so tight in fact, bicyclists are supposed to cross in the traffic lanes, something few do because of how tight a squeeze it can be.

While the new bridge will fix that, Butler said it also creates new issues.

He said folks on both sides of the Licking River only want three lanes, not the four in the design.

Butler said that it will make it easier to speed and induce more people to drive.

“It will also make it less safe for people that are crossing the road at fourth and garages and at the roundabout in Newport because they’re going to have to cross more lanes. So, if you think about, you know, as we get older or little kids, you don’t move as fast. And, instead of crossing three lanes, you’re now going to have to cross four,” Butler said.

But, Wilson said the four lanes are needed because of all the new development in the area.

“You’ve got the Ovation site, you’ve got the [former] IRS site, Covington that’s being developed. You’ve got Margaritaville coming. So, there’s going to be a lot of traffic crossing the bridge and we wanted it to be efficient for years to come,” Wilson said.

While the design has been picked, Butler has a message for everyone who has been pushing for a smaller bridge with fewer lanes.

“Don’t give up. We’re here and we’re going to continue to fight with you to make this design the best design that fits the needs of the neighborhood,” Butler said.

Don’t expect a new bridge anytime soon though. Construction isn’t expected to start until early 2025. Wilson predicts it will take about three years to complete the bridge.

As for cost, Wilson said it’s too early and there’s still too much to do in the design process before any numbers are made public.