The portion of Route 8 in Campbell County from Ky 445, also known as River Road, to Tower Hill Road, which has been closed for four years, is slated to reopen per the state.
Public Information Officer with KYTC District 6 Jake Ryle specified that this would be a maintenance project to reopen the 2.87 miles of road to traffic; it is not a reconstruction project.
KYTC closed the damaged section of the roadway to through traffic in 2019 due to a landslide. According to KYTC, the planned maintenance repair project will stabilize the road and allow it to be maintained safely at a fraction of what it would cost for reconstruction.
Last year, state officials notified the Campbell County Fiscal Court that they intended to relinquish ownership of the almost three-mile stretch.
Three houses and Aquaramp Marina have endured the effects of the four-year-long road closure. One of those residents is Jenny Imbus, who said she was shocked to hear the road was reopening. She said KYTC Chief District Engineer Bob Yeager called her a few weeks ago to alert her that the state would begin making repairs.
“We’ve seen the past couple of days, state trucks coming down,” Imbus said. “They haven’t done anything, but I guess they’re observing where they’re going to start. They pull into the road, park, move a little bit, and then park again. I can’t quite tell what they’re doing, but at least they’re doing something.”
According to Ryle, the project to address the landslide damages will entail excavating, installing new railroad rails, wall cribbing, multiple soil nail walls which act as retaining walls for the hill, reconstructing the shoulder area, removing and replacing piping, adding culverts, milling, and paving to the road, and guard rail.
“The cabinet is putting out the project for bid later this month,” Ryle said. “It’s not been bid on yet, so there’s no contract.”
Ryle said once someone bids on the project, they will have an estimated cost and timeline. He said to his understanding, the state will maintain the road upon completion of the project.
Imbus said she hopes the state does the project “right” to make all necessary repairs.
“Are they going do it right? That was our fear all along,” Imbus said. “If they just do it halfway, if it’s not fully fixed, it’s useless. I mean, there’s so much wrong with this road.”
Imbus said the lack of communication and decision-making has frustrated her and her neighbors. She said no one wanted to do things like home improvements or any major construction due to the uncertainty of the road reopening.
“It’s kept us just wondering, and that’s been really frustrating,” Imbus said. “I don’t know what other words to use. Frustrating and stressful at times.”
Imbus said she was ready to sell her house before the road closed.
“I contracted with a realtor when the road closed,” she said. “Then I said, let’s hold off. When the road opens again, then we’ll go back to it. Well, I never thought it would be this long.”
She said it has also been concerning to worry about how fire trucks could reach them with the road’s conditions should they need help.
“It really started to worry as in the past year because things have gotten way worse,” Imbus said.
Ryle said the process had been a collaborative effort between lawmakers to help progress the project.
In a press release from KYTC, Yeager said the maintenance project is bringing state leaders (such as State Senator Shelley Funke Frommeyer (R), along with Representatives Rachel Roberts (D) and Mike Clines (R), local utility companies, a railroad company, and private home and business owners to the table.
“We understand how important this road is to so many,” Yeager said in the release. “This is a big project, and took many years to figure out an affordable and viable solution. Most importantly, the funding has been made available due to a local push from state leaders.”
