I must begin with a huge “Thank you” to you and KYTC for asking for my opinion. But be careful what you ask for. I do have memories and a history with the
Kentucky Transportation Department.
My earliest recollection of the KYTC in Newport was seeing the 400+ homes lost in east Newport in preparation for the construction of I471. I recall seeing stacks and stacks of salvaged, used bricks on pallets bound and ready for shipment. I recall seeing stained glass windows set out for pick-up. It was as though I was seeing the results of war. But it was organized. If there is such a thing, it would be called “organized destruction.”
Some have said that the I-471 alignments on the Kentucky side were dictated by Cincinnati. Cincinnati wanted I 471 to align with Eggleston Ave.
Hearn Mansion in Covington (Photo provided)
Later, as I recall, the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission (NKAPC), which no longer exists, along with the Kentucky Highway Department (then called KDOT), along with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce and all the business community felt that the efficient movement of vehicles required a four-lane boulevard from I-471 to I 75 to alleviate congestion on Fort Washington Way.
Two lanes would flow to the east from I-75 onto Fifth Street in Covington crossing the Licking by eliminating the historic Hearne Mansion (pictured below) for a bridge and then to an “on ramp” to I-471 which was to be Nelson Place (pictured below as well), one of the few remaining brick streets in Newport.
The western traffic towards Covington would be accommodated with an “off ramp” from I- 471 north. Traffic would loop over I 471 onto a greatly elevated Fourth Street. The west bound traffic on Fourth Street would cross the Licking at the current site of the Veterans Memorial Bridge.
Remains of the planned ‘on ramp’ from Nelson Place. (Photo provided)
According to area planners, in between and along these two boulevards there would be high density residential high-rise developments.
But, due to a small, concerned, dedicated group of citizens led by Larry Stevenson and Nick Rechtin, the east- west boulevard never happened.
KYTC listened to the citizens and the courts.
A few years ago, to facilitate the movement of vehicles through Newport, the Kentucky Highway Department created the pair of Monmouth and York Streets as the one-way pattern that exists to this day.
I ask myself, “If I had a clean sheet of paper and were given the task of designing a downtown area for shopping and living, would I design a road system that facilitated the rapid movement of cars?” I think NOT! Once upon a time, Monmouth and York Streets served the needs of the residents not the needs of the cars.
The Newport end of the Taylor Southgate Bridge. (Photo provided)
The KYTC planners did ask for input from citizens prior to construction of the above pictured Taylor Southgate Bridge.
“What would be needed in a new bridge?” they asked. The public answered that walkways on BOTH sides of the bridge would be welcome.
And two ten-foot-wide walkways were added to the bridge. That was in addition to the four 12-foot wide, misaligned with Broadway in Cincinnati, expressway style lanes.
The above is what four lanes of traffic with two walkways, which is being presented as a replacement for the Veterans Memorial Bridge, looks like.
The Girl Scout Bridge (aka 11th Street Bridge)
The Girl Scout Bridge (aka 11th Street Bridge), Your “piece de resistance” is truly the Girl Scout Bridge. You created an overbuilt, misaligned, unconnected four-lane expressway bridge with only one five-foot unprotected walkway on the south side of the bridge. My fear while walking this sidewalk, as I often do, is only exceeded when I walk the narrow sidewalk alongside of the US 27 underpass.
I have NEVER seen KYTC ever under-build anything.
So, now I offer you my thoughts on your designs for the Veterans Memorial Bridge rebuild:
1. With some modifications, your current bridge designs can be made significant or iconic. Thank you for that.
2. You have not demonstrated the need for four lanes. In fact, the excerpt to the right was taken from your planning notes when you were preparing the “scoping study” for the bridge.
Planning notes from ‘scoping study’ for the bridge (Photo provided)
3. You have not shown your designs for the connection of the pedestrian walkways to the existing walkways in Newport or Covington. These have yet to be designed and shown to the public. The fact that this has not been designed leaves one to suspect that pedestrians and bikers are, in your mind, an afterthought.
4. An “aesthetics” committee with limited Covington and Newport participation is not nearly enough community input. These communities should have some input on the level of service of the bridge, not just the aesthetics.
So, what should KYTC do now?
1. Regroup, bring the community back together. Create a representative group comprised of Covington and Newport elected officials, major abutting property owners and citizen group representation to discuss not just the aesthetics but also the level of services to the pedestrian, the bicyclist, and the car driver.
2. Rebuild consensus by utilizing the KYTC data and the community input already gleaned from the Devou Good public participation events.
3. And then, utilizing your recent designs and designs from Devou Good, as well as the input from the above described community group, redesign an iconic user-oriented bridge to serve the citizens of Newport and Covington and NKY.
I believe these three actions are critical to designing a community asset that will serve Newport and Covington for the next 100 years. I also believe that this can be completed without any delay to the construction schedule for this bridge.
Thanks again for asking for my opinion. After this, you may never ask for my thoughts again.
Ken Rechtin is a Newport City Commissioner. The views and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views or opinions of the City of Newport or of this news source, its writers, or editors. He can be reached on his cell at 859-250-2263 or via email at kennethrechtin@gmail.com.
