The Girl Scout Bridge over the Licking River connecting 11th Street in Newport to 12th Street in Covington will get new cycling infrastructure, the Kentucky Cabinet of Transportation announced Monday.
Currently, the bridge has two lanes in each direction for cars and no dedicated cycling lanes. KYTC says the new configuration will take that down to one lane each way for automotive traffic and add a lane each direction for cyclists. Those lanes will be separated from cars by a buffer and vertical markers.
The design is the result of several months of collaboration between KYTC, the cities of Covington and Newport, and cycling and pedestrian safety advocacy groups including the Devou Good Foundation.
Work could begin as early as Wednesday on the project. Motorists will see signage alerting them to the new traffic patterns.
KYTC says the addition of the lanes comes as it prepares to close down the other bridge between the two cities to the north, the 4th Street/KY8 Bridge, in January next year.
"Providing a safe and accessible option for bicyclists and pedestrians during and after the closure is a priority," a news release from KYTC reads.
Advocates have been asking for permanent bike lanes across the Girl Scout Bridge since a driver hit and killed cyclist Gloria San Miguel there in August 2022.
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