Texas Turnaround coming to 4th Street ramp in Covington

COVINGTON, Ky. (FOX19) - The City of Covington is looking for ways to make it safer for drivers to get on the interstate now that the Brent Spence Bridge is back open.

If you have ever crossed the Ohio River from Covington you have probably used the 4th Street ramp to get onto northbound I-75, but that will soon change.

The maneuver is called a Texas Turnaround, and what it will do is divert traffic from 4th Street southbound and then off the Pike Street exit. From there, cars and trucks will use the Pike Street entrance ramp to northbound I-75.

Covington Mayor Joe Meyer says with traffic doing a Texas Turnaround and using the Pike Street entrance ramp, there will be four continuous lanes going across the Brent Spence. The bridge closure caused by the fiery crash on Nov. 11 forced semis onto the streets of Covington

Mayor Meyer says the semis coming off the interstate during the Brent Spence Bridge shutdown caused some damage to the primary roads. He says if something like that should ever happen again, the city’s infrastructure will not be able to handle the load.

“What it was is a reminder of what will happen to Covington and Northern Kentucky if the current design of the Brent Spence Bridge goes forward,” Mayor Meyer said. “The Transportation Cabinet’s study showed that if there’s dollar toll on the Brent Spence Bridge, 77,000 cars a day would get off the interstate to avoid the tolls.”

Mayor Meyer says the congestion that happened during the bridge shutdown could be a signal of things to come.

Under the current overall concept of the Brent Spence Bridge plan, a $2 toll could force 77,000 vehicles a day off the bridge as drivers try to avoid paying it, the mayor said.

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