Cincinnati-based Prus Construction is in the process of replacing the deteriorating brick pavers at the intersection of Madison Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard/12th Street.
Construction began on Monday to replace the brick pavers with concrete. The $217,365 project will shut down traffic at the intersection for about nine more days. The new concrete will be colored to match the color of the brick. Signage has been put up in the area to notify motorists.
The intersection is one of the busiest in Covington. According to maps from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, an average of 14,300 vehicles a day drive on Madison near that intersection, and 14,717 vehicles drive on MLK Boulevard.
The work area is limited to the area located in-between the crosswalks on the stretch across Madison Avenue and MLK Boulevard. The brick driving surface on Madison Avenue between 11th Street and MLK Boulevard will be left as is for now, as will the one-block area of MLK Boulevard between Scott Boulevard and Madison Ave.
Northbound traffic on Madison will be directed to 13th Street and then Greenup, while southbound traffic will be directed to 11th and then Scott Boulevard. Eastbound traffic on MLK Boulevard will be diverted onto Russell Street, and westbound MLK Boulevard traffic that comes from Scott Boulevard will continue on Scott.
The brick began to immediately pop loose and break since it was first installed about 12 years ago. This created a difficult scenario for maintenance crews and a hazardous roadway for motorists.
Covington Public Works Director Chris Warneford described the crumbling brick pavement as a “maintenance nightmare.”
“Although it’s beautiful, this is a major intersection that gets a lot of traffic, including a lot of heavy trucks making turns, and the bricks can’t handle it,” said Bill Matteoli, assistant project engineer for Covington.
The Covington Public Works crew was constantly replacing the loose and broken bricks. In some instances, replacement bricks could not be found in the open market. This caused maintenance crews to fill the holes with asphalt, defeating the artistic purpose of the decorative brick facade.
Heavy rains and the freeze/thaw cycle throughout winter months have contributed toward the degradation of the brick.
In late May, the Covington Board of Commissioners voted to sign a contract with Prus Construction to take on the project. The contract was worth $217,365.
