Fourth Street Bridge Talking Points When Meeting With Elected Officials

When meeting with elected officials, it’s helpful to highlight the key points and have personal stories ready to share. Remember to keep in mind both the big picture and why the 4th Street Bridge design is important to you as a constituent.

Key Point Intro: We want Covington, Newport, and KYTC to work together to build a bridge that incorporates all of the best ideas from the Spoke design; public input on the design needs to be considered in good faith·

Key Point 1: KY 8 Licking River Bridge project is lacking: the overbuilt design is unnecessary, expensive, & endangers people who walk, ride, or roll

1) Proposes an overbuilt design that increase costs through land acquisition, construction, and maintenance; all of which add unnecessary expense for taxpayers

2) A wide, four-lane bridge will increase travel speeds while reducing safety and introducing pass-through traffic; Additionally the Nov 2016 Engineering Report by Stantec indicates a consideration, not a mandate of a four-lane bridge (it’s not needed and endangers people who walk, run, ride, & roll)

3) Historically, KYTC has built wide, fast, and dangerous bridge intersections. The Girl Scout Bridge in Covington is an example of this: it’s so wide that KYTC didn’t put in crosswalks. KYTC needs to prioritize safe intersections

4) The proposed plan is not environmentally friendly or sustainable; impacts historic structures; is not accurate re: counts & trends

• The proposed plan does not proactively incorporate planning for the future; it is not environmentally friendly or sustainable

• The proposed plan will disrupt neighborhoods and their environmental health by encouraging pass-through truck and automobile traffic; these neighborhood communities are already disproportionately impacted by existing air pollution

• The proposed plan will have an irreversible negative impact on the Licking Riverside Historic District properties and landmark tree on the Covington side

• The proposed plan does not incorporate local, national, and worldwide transportation trends

• The proposed plan is based on counts that are not substantiated and are inflated

• Current and projected traffic counts and limitations created by existing infrastructure do not warrant two travel lanes in each direction

Key Point 2: The 4th Street Bridge Design should prepare for the streetcar; be iconic; plan for the future

• The design should prepare for the long-discussed streetcar to connect Newport and Covington with Cincinnati

• 4th Street Bridge should be an iconic bridge that brings pride and beauty to Northern Kentucky; this is a once-in-a-multiple-generation opportunity to build a bridge that does so

• The bridge should have three drive lanes maximum with one that can be converted to transit only in the future

Key Point 3: Protection & Sustainability for Walkers & Bikers & People Who Use Mobility Devices Needs to Be a Priority

• Active transportation needs to be more than accommodated; it needs to be celebrated

• It’s long past time to encourage and protect bridge use beyond the automobile; protecting people who use mobility devices and people who walk, run, or ride is good for everybody

• To create safe intersections, the bridge design should incorporate NATCO’s Intersection Design Principles by facilitating visibility and predictability for all users with an intersection design that’s as compact as possible.

• A car-centric plan divides the heart of the city from the riverfront

• A walkable bridge creates robust and sustainable community