COVINGTON, Ky. — After spending more than a year closed to vehicles, the John A. Roebling Bridge has officially reopened.
But, like with any bridge in the Greater Cincinnati region, there is a catch: Restoration work is still not finished and as weather warms, crews will need to do more work that will necessitate lane closures.
What a sight!!! Traffic crossing the Roebling Bridge again! @WCPO pic.twitter.com/NnbHS1QbaX
— Mariel Carbone (@MarielCarbone) April 8, 2022
The bridge has been closed to cars since Feb. 15, 2021 for extensive maintenance.A pedestrian sidewalk has remained open since the bridge closed and officials said it will stay open during the project extension.
The bridge was previously closed in April 2019 after sandstone fragments broke from the east side of the north tower, KYTC said. Netting was installed and the bridge reopened four months later.
Bad weather delayed the project to restore the bridge and its reopening date has been pushed back multiple times since it was closed. Parts of the bridge's towers have begun to crumble because water flows into cracks, causing pieces to loosen, KYTC spokesperson Nancy Wood said in 2020 when repairs began.
“To keep it looking like it has been for the past 150 years we have to replicate the stone and we have to have approval from the state, the Historic Preservation Office, so there is a lot more into it,” Wood said in February 2020. “If this was a regular bridge we would just go in and pour concrete and waterproof.”
The bridge first opened on Jan. 1, 1867 and spans the Ohio River connecting Covington to Cincinnati.
When open, the 154-year-old bridge carries approximately 8,100 vehicles a day, according to KYTC.
