Latest news with #BrentSpenceBridgeCorridorProject
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Riverfront trail will close for 5 years to make way for Brent Spence Bridge project
Nearly a mile of a riverfront trail in Covington will close this summer for the next five years to make way for the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. City commissioners unanimously approved the closure Tuesday night with assurances that the planned detour will ensure pedestrian safety and accessibility. The trail, part of an ambitious Riverfront Commons plan to better connect eight cities throughout Northern Kentucky, is needed for construction logistics. It will be the access point for workers and materials as a new companion bridge is added west of the Brent Spence Bridge. Meanwhile, residents who regularly use the trail will have to take a streetside detour through some of the busiest traffic spots in the city. "We ask you to ensure that the detour keeps our neighborhood connected, not sidelined, and we ask that … future designs won't be finalized without any community input," resident Lisa Murray said during public comment. She and others in the Botany Hills neighborhood are among those who emailed and spoke with city officials and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in the weeks leading up to the vote. Here's what you have to know about the project: The Riverfront Commons trail in Covington is 1.25 miles long. The closure would affect 0.8 of a mile from just west of the Brent Spence Bridge to just before the Covington Plaza. Stacee Hans, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's project manager for the build, said the trail closure was planned with pedestrian safety in mind from the get-go. "There is going to be construction activity adjacent to and over the Riverfront Common trail," she said, which would be a safety hazard to pedestrians. The detour would run from Highway Avenue to West Third Street and down Rivercenter Boulevard back toward Covington Plaza. She said it will include, where possible, widened sidewalks and a protective barrier for a bike lane. After five years, the Kentucky Department of Transportation Cabinet will be responsible for restoring the trailway to its current condition. More closures, though, could occasionally take place, lasting from a day to three weeks. Now that city commissioners have approved the temporary closure, more solidified designs for the detour can be made. Hans told residents after the meeting that she and the transportation cabinet are open to including residents and others in the design process. For instance, the Riverfront Commons project is managed by Southbank Partners, an economic development nonprofit. President and CEO Will Weber told The Enquirer in a statement that he understands the need for the trail closure and has been in talks with those involved. "Our priority is to ensure safety, connectivity, and minimal disruption for trail users and nearby businesses during this temporary detour," he said. He added that Southbank Partners has advocated for changes and improvements to the Riverfront Commons trail area and detour, such as: Clear signage and maintenance of the detour trail throughout the project. Separation from traffic along the detour trail. Permanent infrastructure upgrades like wider sidewalks and improved lighting. It's the kinds of things that will keep the detour safe for trail users like Brenden Pulte, who spoke at the city commission meeting Tuesday night with bruises on his face from a bike crash over the weekend. He said he'd been riding in a bike lane in Cincinnati that was blocked by construction and crashed his bike due to construction materials that weren't properly cleaned up before the weekend. "I just wanted to share that to emphasize that getting something like this right is important. Maintaining it through those five years is also," he said. This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Riverfront trail in Covington slated to close for 5 years
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump executive orders impacting Dayton region: 7 things to know
Jan. 27—Editor's note: Every Sunday Josh Sweigart, editor of investigations and solutions journalism, brings you the top stories from the Dayton Daily News and major stories over the past week you may have missed. Go here to sign up to receive the Weekly Update newsletter and our Morning Briefing delivered to your inbox every morning. President Donald Trump wasted no time in implementing his America First agenda upon taking office last week. Our reporters are hard at work analyzing actions and directives from the White House and how they may impact the Dayton region. How President Trump's first actions in office are affecting our region: 1. Executive orders: Trump issued dozens of executive orders in the first days of his administration. Here's an initial list of orders and what they mean, assembled by our reporters. 2. Hiring freeze: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a cornerstone of Dayton's economy — employing thousands of civilians as well as military men and women — so we looked at the potential local how a 90-day hiring freeze on hiring. Read that story here. 3. Exemptions: The Department of Veterans Affairs Thursday outlined health-focused occupations considered exempt from President Trump's 90-day hiring freeze on federal civilian hiring. That story here. 4. Back to work: Another order that impacts Wright-Patt (and surrounding communities) is a return-to-work order for federal employees. There are traffic concerns around the base, but a potential upside for businesses in Fairborn and Beavercreek that saw a decline in foot traffic amid hybrid work. 5. Brent-Spence Bridge: One of Trump's executive orders requires that government agencies "immediately pause the disbursement of funds appropriated" via the infrastructure law. This means the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, which includes the I-75 bridge over the Ohio River in Cincinnati, might have to wait a little while longer to get its start. Here's more on that. 6. Jan. 6 defendants: Trump pardoned, commuted the prison sentences or said he would dismiss cases for the 1,500-plus people charged with crimes in the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot, including people convicted of assaulting police officers. Here is a look at the Jan. 6 defendants from our area impacted. 7. More to come: There is A LOT more our reporters are looking into, from immigration orders to energy policy to DEI. Our reporters will be focused on how these actions impact the Dayton region.
