NEWPORT KY
Dec. 18 2018
This Roads Scholaring with the Peace Bike sapped every last smidgen of energy I still had. We focused on the new KY 9, for what it was worth.
This new stretch of KY 8 overlays 3rd Street. This is northeast from Columbia. The use of a KY 27 shield for US 27 was an "uh-oh" moment, like when I saw KY 8 signs posted in weird places prior to its big 2018 rerouting along US 27. But I think the shield here is just an error.
Southwest on Columbia at the new KY 8. Columbia only touches the KY 8 frontage. It doesn't cross the new road, except as a crosswalk. The Campbell County Courthouse is on the left. But it's not on the other kind of left, despite the Tea Party's complaints.
North on Brighton from the new KY 9. This shows once again that the public housing here was torn down just for the sake of being torn down. Most of it was not even in the new road's path. That's why you see empty lots here. The Veterans Memorial Bridge for KY 8 is in the background.
Northeast on 5th from Brighton. This shows the ongoing demolition derby against affordable housing.
As the new KY 9 rounds a curve, you can see that we managed to wrangle one small thing out of it: a bike lane. We had to scratch, claw, and bite to get it, but we got it. We only got it because I raised a holy stink about not having it after it was promised to us.
KY 9 gallops into the wild yonder of western Newport. This is the old path of Lowell Street, which was probably razed in the 1960s here. This is about where 7th met Lowell.
Looking back north on KY 9.
North on KY 9, approaching the new roundabout at the Veterans Memorial Bridge approach. The arrow for KY 8 west is funny looking.
East on 5th (the old KY 8 east) past the roundabout. Part of 5th here had become two-way. The metal box at right features a sticker showing a bag of money going into a toilet.