COVINGTON, Ky. — It’s a sight people have been waiting on. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s project on the John A. Roebling Bridge has finally reached a point where people can drive across it.

Located right down the street in Covington from the bridge is The Gruff.

Server Andrew Dorriere said that sometimes he’d have to take other routes in to Cincinnati while the bridge was closed. It closed to vehicle traffic in February 2021. They reopened the bridge to cars on April 8, 2022.

“It’s really exciting. I think it will increase traffic for a lot of local businesses,” he said.

The Gruff isn’t the only business that sits in the area as people cross the Roebling Bridge into Covington.

Roebling Point Books and Coffee Books Specialist Emily Webster said she’s excited to see it open again. She said not having that vehicle traffic posed a bit of a challenge to the business.

“I do want to say the community is extremely supportive and we do get a lot of traffic on foot—but there are definitely those opportunities where it wasn’t as convenient to get here in the mornings,” she said.

KYTC stated in a release that ordinarily 8,100 cars cross the Roebling Bridge daily. While their work isn’t finished yet, Webster said they’re celebrating seeing cars cross the bridge once again.

“I hope that everybody will celebrate by crossing the bridge and stopping by,” Webster said.

KYTC said they’ll update the public on any further lane closures as they complete more work on the project.