COVINGTON, Ky. — Richard Hunt owns Roebling Point Books and Coffee—a business that sits at the base of Roebling Bridge. It's been closed to vehicle traffic since February 2021 for maintenance.
“It’s had a more profound negative effect on our business than COVID did," Hunt said.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released an online statement saying the latest update to the bridge project is that it's expected to open back up to commuters this spring. Hunt said this isn't the first update he's heard.
“We’ve heard specific ones that weren’t met, we’ve heard vague ones," he said.
He said commuters used to stop in occasionally on their way over the Roebling Bridge before it closed.
“It was eight thousand cars a day that went over the bridge, and even if we just get one percent of that, it was enough to at least cover our costs," Hunt said.
But now, he's left with 'Road Closed' signs outside of his business. He hopes to see that change sometime.
“It’s really hard because there’s no easy answer. We want people to feel, now in this moment in time, that they can get outside again and it’s getting warm again. It’d be nice to say in that strand that the bridge is open again," Hunt said.