The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is proposing four options for a new bridge over the Licking River between Covington and Newport. Safety and improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians are the main focus of each.
Cory Wilson with the cabinet says these designs are in the early stages.
"What we have so far... I guess you could call them architectural drawings," he says. "They represent the direction of the design, but we still have a lot of refinement to do, and a lot of engineering evaluation to do. And there's still opportunity to incorporate features into the designs that maybe aren't shown in those renderings."
Safety and improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians are the main focuses of four concepts proposed. Wilson says a "highlight" is the 12-foot multi-use path on the side of the bridge.
Right now, it's hard to get between Covington and Newport if you're walking or biking. "Fourth Street corridor is actually one of the most dangerous corridors in all of Northern Kentucky," Devou Good Foundation President Matt Butler said during an open house for a new bridge design last year. "It's routinely ranked either No. 1 or No. 2 as far as people dying and traffic crashes on it. We've run radar, people routinely go 60-plus miles an hour on the 4th Street bridge into a residential neighborhood on the Covington side, and soon on the Newport side."
These four designs include arched, cable stayed, inclined arch and suspension designs. Miguel Rosales is president of Rosales and Partners, the bridge architect. He says the company is proud of the designs.
"We think they enhance the environment, and all the views from Covington, from Newport, from the new developments, are going to improve with any of these designs," he says. "This is creating a new value for the community and is something you don't have right now."
Mike Bezold with the cabinet says the designs are all very innovative.
RELATED: Brent Spence Bridge project now has design-build contractors, a sign 'we're moving forward'
"[The designs] are all looking at things to try to match the community and try to bring in the historic natures of Covington, and the modern architecture you also see on the Newport side, and also in Covington, with all the development you see at the end of the bridge," he said. "We tried to use those as inspiration."
The new concepts will be presented to Covington city commission on Tuesday and to Newport on Aug. 28. KYTC will make a final selection in October.
The public can provide feedback to the project team through the KY 8 Licking River Bridge Replacement Project website.
