The Commonwealth of Kentucky is contributing $15 million toward the construction of a parking garage located at 1840 Simon Kenton Way in Covington — the site of the Kenton County Government Center.
In August, Kenton County Fiscal Court approved a proposal from Blue Ash-based architecture firm Gresham Smith to design the parking garage. Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray were on hand at the Government Center to announce the multi-million dollar financial award.
“In Kentucky, we get the job done – and today we made progress on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project,” Beshear said at the press conference. “By relocating the Kenton County parking garage, we are freeing up an area needed for this crucial project and saving millions of dollars in the process because of less construction costs. This is a win-win for this community and all of Northern Kentucky.”
The garage is set to replace parking spots located underneath an elevated portion of Interstate Highways 71 and 75 in Covington. Currently, there are around 160 parking spots between W. Pike Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard below the highway. The Government Center also has a surface parking lot in front of the building with over 100 spots.
Gresham Smith’s conceptual design proposal considered making the garage capable of accommodating up to 250 vehicles, as well as constructing a weather-protected connector between the parking garage and the Government Center.
The portion of the land beneath the highway is needed for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project — a $3.6 billion infrastructure megaproject which includes the construction of a companion bridge directly next to Brent Spence Bridge. Once construction begins, the parking spaces underneath the highway will be eliminated.
“This new garage will also contribute to Kenton County’s already significant work to make the 12th Street interchange a premier gateway into the city of Covington,” Kenton County Judge/Executive Kris Knochelmann said. “All-in-all, the revitalization of the 12th Street interchange has been a big win for the Commonwealth of Kentucky, Kenton County and the City of Covington.”
Renderings of the parking garage were shared with the audience and media. The garage is going to be located behind the Government Center. Much of it will be located below ground level. There are also future plans for a residential building to be potentially built on top of the garage. Knochelmann told LINK nky the project is set to be completed in 2025.
