“Excited and relieved,” is how Aquaramp Marina co-founder Brian Schleper told LINK nky he felt when he learned the portion of Old Route 8, where his business is located, was reopening after a four-year closure.
“We never dreamed it would take this long for this to get this going again,” Schleper said.
The locally infamous 2.8-mile stretch of Mary Ingles Highway, running south from Tower Hill Road to River Road along the Ohio River, was closed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, known as KYTC, in February 2019 after it sustained damage from multiple landslides throughout a month-long period.
The hilly terrain and unstable soil made the pavement particularly susceptible to landslides, erosion and slippage – all conditions that made the road unsafe for drivers.
The road remained closed as KYTC, which has maintenance jurisdiction over Old Route 8, and the City of Fort Thomas deliberated solutions.
“It was like a forgotten area down there really for a couple of years,” Schleper said.
On July 7, KYTC announced they would conduct a planned maintenance repair project, not a reconstruction project, to reopen the road.
The project includes replacing railroad tracks, installing new retaining walls, reconstructing the road’s shoulder area, and adding guard rails, pavement, culverts and milling.
“We understand how important this road is to so many,” KYTC Chief District Engineer Bob Yeager said in a release. “This is a big project, and took many years to figure out an affordable and viable solution.”
Drivers traveling south from Dayton along Mary Ingles Highway were greeted with a white and orange “Road Closed” sign redirecting through traffic up Tower Hill Road toward Fort Thomas. Drivers heading north from Cold Spring are met with a similar sign.
Brothers Brian and Mike Schleper originally purchased the marina property in 2014 for $200,000, according to Campbell County property records.
For boaters, Aquaramp Marina offers a ramp, dock store and carry-out, boat docks and storage. Gas and diesel fuel is sold at the dock. For campers, there are multiple RV campsites featuring electric and water hookups.
When the KYTC initially announced the road closure, the brothers worried about the negative impact it could have on their business. The road had already fallen into disrepair and with unclear messaging regarding a closure timeline, Brian and Mike proceeded into the boating season.
“We’ve had a lot of customers that have stuck with us, but we’ve lost quite a few too over the years,” Schleper said.
From a business owner’s perspective, the timing couldn’t have been worse. When the closure happened, the brothers were nearing completion on expensive, multi-year facility renovations.
They hoped their investment would help draw in more customers in time for the boating season. Not to mention, the COVID-19 pandemic loomed on the horizon.
Their renovations included re-doing the marina dock and campgrounds, renovating the head boat, constructing bathrooms and laundry rooms, and adding more covered boat storage.
Since being closed to through traffic, road access to Aquaramp Marina was drastically reduced. Their marina is stationed directly along that stretch of closed road.
“It went from being an extremely convenient location to being difficult to get to,” Schleper said.
Before the closure, Schleper said most of their customers traveled to the marina from the south exiting Alexandria Pike in Cold Spring, then going down Industrial Road until they could turn left onto Old Route 8.
While still accessible by road, drivers could only reach the marina by traveling south from Dayton on the Mary Ingles Highway or driving through Fort Thomas and down Tower Hill Road.
In June 2019, Aquaramp Marina filed a complaint in Campbell County Circuit Court against KYTC seeking injunctive relief for the “actions and inactions” of the transportation agency regarding the road closure.
Aquaramp Marina’s lawyers argued the route potential customers and campers were required to use to reach the business was full of impediments, such as a low clearance underpass and a “large hump” on Tower Hill Road.
Additionally, the complaint alleged the closure prevented them from receiving deliveries from the US Postal Service, UPS or FedEx, and suppliers like their Coca-Cola distributor.
Schleper told LINK nky that large recreational vehicles and trucks carrying campers had difficulty traveling down the route, which is why their typical customer generally traveled north from Cold Spring.
“Some campers had a very difficult time even getting their equipment camper-wise down there,” Schleper said. “Coming down Tower Drive or coming through Dayton, that’s not a pleasurable experience and can be difficult with a big camper or RV.”
Ultimately, Judge Daniel Zalla dismissed the complaint months later.
Aquaramp Marina supplemented their business in a variety of ways.
Schleper said the marina sold a fair amount of gas during the pandemic because people continued using their boats. They also focused on drawing more campers, extending them special deals such as renting a site for a whole summer rather than just a weekend.
“Boating was one of the few things people could do, but the fact that we were cut off didn’t help us a lot with that side of the business,” Schleper said.
As a business owner, Schleper admitted feeling frustrated over the situation but was relieved by the recent news, not only for Aquaramp Marina but also for the homeowners located along that stretch of road.
