Residents got to look at and weigh in on several designs for a new 4th Street bridge this week that the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and leadership from Newport and Covington presented.
The current bridge is 1,001 feet and was built in 1936 and connects Newport and Covington across the Licking River.
“The bridge that connects Covington and Newport, and what that looks like, and how that operates, and how it’s multimodal is going to be critical for the success of our growing cities going forward,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said during Monday’s Newport Commission meeting. “Walking and biking trails and that connectivity will be critical.”
During an open showcase on Wednesday night at the Kenton County Government Center, representatives from the KYTC were on hand to answer the public’s questions regarding the bridge project. Residents shared input with the transportation cabinet on which of the four bridge designs they found most appealing.
At the showcase, the KYTC presented four different design to the public options for the new bridge:
- Current bridge rehabilitation and truss
- Tied Arch
- Standard Truss. The current bridge is a truss bridge.
- Steel plate girder
The project team will then perform an aesthetic study to examine opportunities for enhancements to the project.
“I’ve spent some time with Mayor Meyer and Covington,” Guidugli said. “I think collectively, we have a goal to have something special and it’s going to take all of our effort to actually get something special.”
The historic 4th Street Bridge carries a growing amount of vehicle traffic as well as a significant amount of pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Due to narrow one-foot shoulder widths which do not meet modern design standards, the bridge is classified as functionally obsolete.
The bridge underwent a rehabilitation project in 2020. Even after the project, the bridge cannot accommodate vehicles weighing more than 17 tons. The reduced weight limit is considered substandard as nearly all infrastructure along KY8 can accommodate vehicles weighing up to 40 tons. Large trucks are forced to detour to the Licking Valley Girl Scout Bridge on 12th Street, more than a mile south of KY8.
The Transit Authority of Northern Kentucky does not currently operate local or express bus routes across the KY8/4th Street Bridge due to reduced weight restrictions. For a commuter to travel by transit from the western banks of the Licking River to its eastern banks in Newport, they would have to cross over the Ohio River into Cincinnati via the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge (US 25) using one of several available routes. They would then have to transfer over to a different route in Cincinnati to travel back into Northern Kentucky via the Taylor Southgate Bridge (US 27). Improving public transit efficiency of one of the main goals of the project.
Bicyclists traveling between Covington and Newport are forced onto the roadway since they are prohibited by law from riding on the sidewalks. The addition of a shared use bridge will increase connectivity and safety for bicyclists. The new bridge would accommodate non-motorized travel and improve vehicular travel. Once implemented, the next goal of the project would be to connect the sidewalks with the Licking River Greenway Trail for recreation and commuter use.
The next steps for the KYTC project team will be to study aesthetic enhancements and additional architecture and bridge types. The KYTC project team plans to form an Aesthetic Committee in summer 2022. Based on the draft KYTC plan, the project team is planning on construction beginning in 2024, with an anticipated three-year construction window.
The KYTC provided three construction alternatives during the meeting:
One plan is to construct the new bridge to carry eastbound traffic, then rehabilitate the existing bridge and reconfigure it to only carry westbound traffic.
The second plan is to construct a new single structure in phases.
Their final alternative is to construct two new twin structures in phases.
The KYTC states they are committed to maintaining vehicular, pedestrian, and bicycle traffic during construction. The KYTC is working with Stantec, an international consulting firm.
The transportation cabinet also showed four intersection concepts for 4th Street and Garrard Street. All four design concepts would work in conjunction with the KY8/4th Street Bridge concepts.
- Concept 1: No change. All movements today would be allowed in the future.
- Concept 2: Right in/right out. Traffic on the northern side of the intersection would not be allowed to turn left towards Newport.
- Concept 3: One-way southbound. Garrard Street north of 4th Street would be converted to one-way, serving traffic in the southbound direction.
- Concept 4: One-way northbound. Garrard Street north of 4th Street would be converted to a one-way, serving traffic in the northbound direction.
