There are many things contributing to traffic issues in Fort Wright, said Police Chief Ed Butler, but he told LINK nky that he suspects an increase in population and COVID comparison to be the culprits.
“Without directly looking at the data, my gut says [Fort Wright] is the main artery for people south of the city to Cincinnati,” Butler said at the city’s Dec. 15 meeting. “That’s a part of Kenton County that has seen a lot of population growth over the years.”
Additionally, traffic slowed, along with everything else, during COVID, Butler said. As traffic returns to normal levels, he said, drivers may have gotten the impression that things have worsened quickly.Â
The traffic issues talked about at the December meeting include the intersection of Highland Pike and Kyle’s Lane, where high traffic volume at rush hour creates a bottleneck. That leads to drivers making illegal turns to avoid the traffic, Butler said.
Another problematic area, Butler said, is at the junction of old Kyle’s Lane and Kyle’s Lane headed toward I-75. Though a right-hand turn on red is illegal during certain times, Butler said the police department has noticed more drivers turning right illegally.
Census Bureau data agrees with Butler’s theory about more drivers being on the road. US Geological Survey maps from 1950 show that the intersection at Highland and Kyles dates back at least to then, but the shape of it has changed very little.
Also in 1950, the US Census Bureau counted Fort Wright’s total population at 594.
Fort Wright’s population is now reported to be 5,819, according to the census bureau. Just since 1970, Kenton County’s population has increased by around 40,000 people.
Interstate I-75 and the “cut-in-the-hill,” not built until the 1960s, are a major link in the nation and the region’s economy. Now, the intersection at Highland and Kyles Lane feeds drivers from the southern parts of Fort Wright and Kenton County onto that interstate.
The roads, which were originally built by Fort Wright founders and later improved upon by various state agencies, were created before today’s age of mass interstate transportation.
For this reason and others, Chief Butler has proposed a “multi-tiered” approach to the traffic issues. This, in part, includes increased police presence and enforcement of traffic laws.
“Compliance is our goal, [but] we’re not enthusiastic about writing tickets,” Butler said.
Butler said that tickets can be part of sending a message to drivers about the importance of safety. However, both Butler and Mayor Dave Hatter said they recognize that increased police presence is not a long-term solution.
“We don’t have the number of officers required to have someone dedicated to that intersection every day,” Hatter said.
This goes hand in hand with education, another piece of Butler’s suggested approach. That includes the signage on the website and around the city and the police stopping drivers to inform them of the law.
The final piece of the puzzle, which is largely out of the city’s hands, is the actual design of the road. Kyle’s Lane is a state highway, so Fort Wright is not able to make any direct changes in traffic flow, signage or barriers. The city is considering drafting a resolution to ask the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to conduct a traffic study or implement some traffic delineation solutions. As of right now, no resolution has been brought forward.
Overall, Butler said, he sees an improvement.
“I think the flow of traffic is getting better,” Butler said.
