The Kentucky Transporation department will perform roadway reconfiguration on W. Fourth Street (KY 8) in Covington beginning Thursday.
The reconfiguration will reduce both the number of vehicular lanes and lane width, as well as add a dedicated bicycle lane through a section of W. Fourth Street (KY 8) in Covington.
Crews will resurface W. Fourth Street west of Garrard Street (7.41 mile point) to Philadelphia Street (6.66 mile point), a distance of 0.75 miles. Milling and paving operations will begin Thursday. Crews will work during the evening/overnight hours of 7 p.m. and 7 a.m.
One lane of traffic will be maintained on W. Fourth Street during working hours. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained during non-working hours.
KYTC collaborated with the City of Covington to develop a roadway reconfiguration plan on a half-mile stretch of W. Fourth Street from Garrard Street (7.41 mile point) to Johnson Street (6.89 mile point).
A reconfiguration is a traffic-management tool that improves safety and mobility by changing the number, size and type of travel lanes.
“Our goal is to create safer roads for all users. This roadway reconfiguration in Covington will improve safety for bicyclists, and make the road leaner by reducing the lane width for motorists,” said Bob Yeager, Chief District Engineer for KYTC District 6. “This type of innovative engineering solution is proven to slow down drivers, and improve safety for all.”
This lane reallocation will reduce the number of vehicular travel lanes from three to two. Vehicular lanes will be reduced from 12-feet wide to 11-feet wide through the corridor. This innovative engineering solution will create a leaner street, slowing vehicle speeds.
The current right lane on W. Fourth Street through this area will become a dedicated bicycle lane. The five-foot wide bicycle lane will feature a two-foot buffer from vehicular traffic. This bicycle lane will be one-way with bicyclists traveling westbound on W. Fourth Street.
KYTC has worked closely with the City of Covington to develop this roadway reconfiguration plan.
As part of the project, travel lanes for motorists and bicyclists will be clearly marked, and signage will be upgraded on W. Fourth Street to denote the traffic pattern change.
The resurfacing project taking place on W. Fourth Street is part of a larger resurfacing project that largely took place in late 2024. Crews focused on several portions of KY 8.
Highway Avenue from Spring Street (mile point 6.14) to Western Avenue (mile point 6.23), a distance of 0.09 miles.
Fifth Street from the exit off-ramp of I-71/75 northbound (mile point 6.68) to the Licking River Bridge (mile point 7.6), a distance of 0.92 miles.
Fourth Street from west of Garrard Street (mile point 7.41) to Philadelphia Street (mile point 6.66), a distance of 0.75 miles.
Additionally, this resurfacing project included a 3.97 mile section of KY 8 (River Road/Pike Street) in Kenton County. This portion of the project was completed July 2024.
Riegler Blacktop, Inc. is contracted to perform the $1.15 million project on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. Weather permitting, the overall project has an expected completion date of June 30, 2025.
For more information about roadway reconfigurations, visit KYTC’s SAFERoad Solutions page.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet