COVINGTON, Ky. — An infrastructure project in northern Kentucky could result in a significant detour for walkers and bike riders, one of whom said he hopes it's not a sign of things to come.
The Riverfront Commons features a 20-mile riverwalk connecting eight northern Kentucky cities along the Ohio River. But because of work that will soon start on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, that connection could be disrupted.
The project team proposes the closure of an 0.8-mile stretch of the commons from just west of the bridge up to the Covington Plaza beginning this summer and lasting almost five years.
“This is one of two pieces of bike infrastructure in the whole city. And they’re going to close it to help build this bridge project, so there’s real concern over if this is just the first step."“We all had concerns about how this bridge will impact life in Covington,” said Nate Weyand-Geise, president of Ride the Cov, an organization that strives for making Covington more bike-friendly. “This is one of two pieces of bike infrastructure in the whole city. And they’re going to close it to help build this bridge project, so there’s real concern over if this is just the first step."
"Over the life of this project, what other concessions are going to be made? Are we going to make it a bridge project that really benefits the community?”
A public notice from the project team lays out a detour plan, but Weyand-Geise said he has some issues with it.
“One reason the Riverfront Commons was so great is that it was a consistent and connected route from one neighborhood and the bike trail separated you from the car traffic," Weyand-Geise said. "You could just bike along the river and then connect to downtown Covington and then downtown Cincinnati, and that was a really beautiful connection for a lot of residents."
“Why are they closing the section from Clay Wade Bailey, which is not near the bridge, all the way to the Covington Landing? First, could we just maintain that connection of the Riverfront Commons? We understand that underneath the bridge they are closing it for safety concerns.”
He said, with some modification, the rerouting of the Riverfront Commons could lead to more connectivity in Covington, and he thinks the closing underscores the need for it.
“This rerouting presents a real opportunity to create lasting impacts long after the bridge is built," he said. "You create really safe, welcoming infrastructure for people who are staying at those hotels, visiting the businesses along there or walking home late at night. It has to be high-quality and well-designed infrastructure, and at the moment, it’s consistent.”
Weyand-Geise said creating a more connected community is important to him.
“We’re seeing more and more that the cities that embrace the walkability and embrace street life and embrace a livable approach to their infrastructure are places that people want to move to,” he said.
Construction is slated to start later in 2025. In the meantime, transportation officials are collecting public input on the proposed trail detour, which needs to be sent in by Feb. 23.
Tri-State Trails, another bike infrastructure advocacy group, said it's formulating a response to the public notice, in addition to Southbank Partners, the lead nonprofit organization behind Riverfront Commons.
“Our goal is to minimize disruptions associated with this major Riverfront Commons project while ensuring its successful implementation," Southbank Partners said in a statement.
