COVINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet released four different design styles the 4th Street Bridge connecting Covington and Newport could take the shape of when it's fully rebuilt.
The preliminary designs released Thursday will then be used by the design-build team to guide the overall design of the project in the coming months, KYTC said.
"The main focus for each of these concepts is providing safe and improved access for bicyclists and pedestrians, while also meeting current and future transportation needs," said Miguel Rosales, president of Rosales + Partners, the architecture firm chosen for the new bridge.
The four designs take different shape, but they all have one thing in common: two shared-use walkways spanning a minimum of 12 feet wide.
Option 1: Arch design
According to a press release from KYTC, the arch design would span 446 feet over the Licking River. Three arches would then stretch 58 feet over the roadway, with v-shaped concrete piers beneath the deck.
On either side of the bridge, two 12-foot-wide, cantilevered, shared-use walkways would provide cyclists and pedestrians with open river and city views.
Unlike the bridge's current design, the new arch style would not have bracing between the arches.
Option 2: Cable-stayed
The cable-stayed style would run a bit shorter than its arched counterpart, instead spanning 340 feet over the Licking River.
Six concrete needles standing roughly 74 feet above the roadway would anchor a harp arrangement of parallel cables, the press release says. Like the other designs, this concept also includes two 12-foot-wide, cantilevered, shared-use paths with open views of the river and nearby cities.
"Because of their height, the iconic towers will be visible from long-range views," said Rosales.
Option 3: Inclined arch
The inclined arch design also spans 340 feet over the river and features two arches that are inclined. Those arches would stand 64 feet over the roadway, supported by cables along the insides of the arches.
This design is also flanked by two 12-foot-wide shared-use walkways, though the main difference with this design is that pedestrians and cyclists using those paths would be visually separated from the traffic lanes occupied by vehicles.
Option 4: Suspension-style bridge
The suspension concept also spans roughly 340 feet over the Licking River.
Four steel needle-style towers would rise 90 feet above the roadway, giving this design the tallest profile out of all four of the designs. Cables anchored on the steel needles would also support the design's two mixed-use walkways. However, unlike the other designs, these walkways are curved and have a minimum 12-foot variable width.
"The walkways are cured to geometrically integrate with the twin catenary, gracious suspension cables," said Rosales. "The bridge has a visual relationship with the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge without imitating it as its appearance is contemporary and streamlined."
All four design concepts vow to provide safe and separate walkways for pedestrians and bicyclists, split from vehicular traffic streams. The walkways are also designed to meet standards set by the Americans with Disabilities Act on railing height and sidewalk width.
An unofficial gathering is happening at 7 p.m. Thursday called "The People's Hearing" where members of the Devou Good Foundation and others will lay out their proposals for a project to replace the aging structure.
During the 4th Street Bridge updates portion of the hearing, Cincinnati Senior Engineer Brian Goubeaux and Rail Advocate John Schneider will speak about streetcar expansion and why, from the foundation's perspective, "a complete teardown of the bridge is needed."
They also say Cincinnati Senior City Planner Melissa McVay will give expert witness testimony on the safety issues concerning expanding the 4th Street Bridge drive lanes, which they feel should be limited to three.
Gina Estes, who has lived in Covington for close to 30 years, said there are safety concerns with adding another vehicle lane.
"More wide-open lanes — it's not a traffic-calming solution," Estes said. "Covington deserves better than that. We all deserve better than that to be blanketed in black top and to accommodate vehicles going faster and faster."
Cory Wilson with KYTC District 6 said safety is a top priority, noting officials will continue to work with the design-build team to refine the designs.
"What we're showing now, they're very preliminary concepts," Wilson said. "They're very early designs. So they're subject to change quite a bit"
KYTC has held multiple public meetings for the KY 8 Licking River Bridge Replacement Project since 2021, but have maintained the desire for a four-lane bridge.
The People's Hearing takes place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Covington. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. It will also be live-streamed via YouTube. The public's comments will be delivered to the cities of Covington and Newport along with KYTC.
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