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Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A BRIDGE TOO FAR: COVINGTON FIGHTS FOR EXITS

by Michael Monks 
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THE RIVER CITY NEWS MORE COVINGTON NEWS THAN ANY OTHER SOURCE
"This is by far the most important meeting in Covington about the Brent Spence Bridge in several years," said City Manager Larry Klein at the start of a packed public meeting inside City Hall. Covington's elected leaders and administrators hoped to create a unified message from Northern Kentucky's largest city as the region embarks on one of the biggest infrastructure project in its history, a new bridge between Cincinnati and Covington that may eliminate an important exit ramp to the Kentucky riverfront. 
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Fifty percent of the traffic that comes into Covington from northbound Interstate 75 does so at the 5th Street exit which would disappear under the plan recommended by transportation departments from Ohio and Kentucky. Instead, northbound drivers would exit at 12th Street and then use a collector road to get to 5th. Heading south from Cincinnati the issue is of even more concern to Covington as drivers would have to begin to exit near the Museum Center in preparation for an exit at 5th Street in Kentucky. 
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The loss of an exit ramp, while possibly the most significant, is not the only trouble facing Covington as the bridge project moves forward. Important access to Devou Park would be compromised, Goebel Park would lose its basketball court and possibly its swimming pool, and the Lewisburg neighborhood could yet again be gutted in the name of interstate progress. "When the original highway went in it cut Lewisburg off from the rest of the city and this new development only makes that void worse," said Beth Johnson, Covington's historic preservation officer.
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HERE IS A LOOK AT THE ISSUES AND PROPOSED SOLUTIONS:
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ACCESS TO DOWNTOWN COVINGTON
Covington wants to ensure that a collector road is guaranteed on the northbound side of the interstate at the 12th Street exit so that traffic can continue on to 5th Street. Also, it wants amplified access to the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge so that traffic can be mitigated during afternoon rush hour traffic on 4th Street allowing drivers to choose the Clay Wade Bailey to access the interstate in Cincinnati. Additionally, Covington's leaders want a direct ramp from I-75 to 9th Street.
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LEWISBURG
Twenty-three properties will be completely removed while twenty properties will be partially affected. Most of the homes being removed are on Crescent Street which would no longer be a through-street and would have double cul-de-sacs. The homes to be removed are indicated in red in these photos:


Suggestions by the city include demolishing noncontributing buildings, emphasizing a facade grant program for the neighborhood since it is an under appreciated gateway into the city, and also the creation of a Charles Zimmer Memorial Path that would be pedestrian and bike oriented in honor of the former hardware store owner who was dubbed Mr. Lewisburg in his day.
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DEVOU PARK
Access to Devou Park from Lewis Street would be closed creating more traffic on Baker Street according to the city which also said the street is not designed or equipped for through traffic. The proposed solution by city staff is to make Monatgue a two-way street with an off-street parking option. 
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GOEBEL PARK
Suggestions for a revamped Goebel Park include a new pool and pool house, a "sprayground", a fruit and vegetable garden, a pond, and new parking. Check out the photo for details: 
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There are two public meetings scheduled on both sides of the river in a couple weeks: Tuesday April 24 at Longworth Hall and Wednesday April 25 at the NKY Convention Center (parking is free that inside the RiverCenter garage). Both meetings are from 5:00 to 8:00PM. The focus of the presentations will be the recommended plan but Covington's alternate suggestions will be display with a "not recommended" label. The public will be able to submit comments through a court reporter who will be present at both meetings. 

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