23-04-2025
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
