Brad Chetwood, a technician III with Public Works’ Right of Way Maintenance Division, installs the new/old parking signs along northbound Pike Street.
Completion of bridge work eliminates need for temporary prohibition
COVINGTON, Ky. – Drivers are again allowed to park in the curb lane of northbound Dixie Highway-Pike Street before and after its intersection with Montague Road.
A crew from the City of Covington Public Works Department installed new signs today from the 1200 block of Pike Street north to Bullock Street to again allow parking in the right lane except from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. weekdays.
The change is actually a return to a previous arrangement.
The City had removed all parking in late April to help alleviate traffic jams caused by the state-managed maintenance project on the Brent Spence Bridge, explained John Purnell, supervisor of Right of Way Maintenance for Public Works.
The logjam was particularly bad at the sharp curve near Herb & Thelma’s Tavern and Be Concerned: The People’s Pantry as out-of-town drivers and commuters trying to circumvent backups on Interstate 75 were taking a back way through Covington’s Westside and MainStrasse Village neighborhoods.
“The temporary change allowed for two full lanes of northbound traffic, but with the project finished and the bridge back to full traffic flow, we’re able to return to prior signage and allow parking on the east side,” Purnell said.
Other efforts to alleviate traffic jams taken last spring included a barricade that blocked Dixie Highway traffic from turning onto eastbound West 12th Street. It was erected after tractor-trailers, delivery trucks, and commuters using the narrow, hilly street were jamming it for long periods during rush hour, blocking access to homes. Purnell said that barricade has since been removed as well.
The City is happy to be able to both restore parking and give back to residents of 12th Street the quickest route to their homes, City Manager Ken Smith said.
“Parking is a very valuable resource to our residents, so we are always reluctant to restrict or eliminate existing on-street options,” Smith said. “In this case, our hand had been forced.”
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