NORTHEASTERN CAMPBELL COUNTY
Apr. 2006
PART 1
The header for this batch of road photos is a phrase that's probably seldom been used ever before, at least regarding the Campbell County in Kentucky: northeastern Campbell County. Look at the shape of the county on a map, and you'll see it really doesn't even have a northeastern section. So I decided to give it one. I didn't even set out to take any photos that day, but I ended up with enough to fill 2 parts, which look better if you can imagine the depth perception that flat photos like these can't show. This is Campbell County, after all, and no photos can do justice to the terrain issues.
KY 8 runs along the Ohio River here. We know this scene in Dayton is endangered because it's right on the boundary between urban and rural, with no suburban sprawl yet to ruin it. This is just as you leave the built-up section of the city.
There's at least 2 of these tunnels along the side of KY 8 near the border between Dayton and Fort Thomas. There must be some storm sewers in Fort Thomas that drain into underground creeks that emerge from these stone portals.
Is that an Allowed Cloud I see? Anyway this is Tower Hill Road in Fort Thomas, which hits KY 8 where it appears to end in this photo.
Now you can see why I never take the ol' bikey out this far on KY 8 anymore. Believe it or not, this - yes, this - is considered one of the area's best bike routes, despite mudslides, above-average traffic volume, and the lack of good shoulders. Despite being on one of the best bike routes locally outside central cities, this short stretch of KY 8 is almost impassable on a bike, so you just have to drag the bike along through the grass.
This is River Road (KY 445) from the intersection with KY 8. I'm guessing the rock blast was made in the early '70s to reroute River Road to make way for I-275. River Road used to hit KY 8 about 1,000 feet southeast of here. For a while, River Road split and hit KY 8 at both the old and the new intersections, but this was before I was old enough to remember.
Now we're on River Road facing KY 8. The Combs-Hehl Bridge, which carries I-275, is in the background.
This is Blangey Road, which I knew was endangered because I saw real estate signs up everywhere.
Looking the other way on Blangey, this is the old part of River Road. It hits KY 8 at the apparent end of the road in this picture. The black speck levitating just above the horizon is the stop sign that's falling over.
Further along on the imperiled Blangey.
This creek parallels Blangey at a drop of 10 feet or so.
I'm not sure where this is, but it's probably also Blangey - which shows you why I had to get a photo before it was too late.
I'm not positive of where this is either. I continued along KY 8 to Silver Grove and turned around where the sidewalk ended, eventually emerging on KY 547. This is probably KY 547 heading out of town. It has a centerline, so it's probably at least a state route, but it lacks edge lines, so it's probably not KY 8. So yeah, I'd say it's KY 547.