ERLANGER, Ky. — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has paused a controversial project to reconfigure a four-lane stretch of Dixie Highway after facing intense community opposition from Northern Kentucky residents and business owners.
The "road diet" would have reduced the corridor from four lanes to two lanes between Turfway Road and Commonwealth Avenue, affecting Florence, Elsmere and Erlanger. A middle turn lane would have been added.
"We are putting the project on pause. I think for most of you that is good news," Bon Yeager, KYTC District 6 chief district engineer, said at a packed meeting Tuesday night in Erlanger.
The announcement came after a week of backlash from the community, with residents and business owners expressing frustration over the lack of public input before the project was announced.
"I'm very excited," said Collin Schubert, a resident who attended Tuesday's meeting in Erlanger. "A large majority of the people I've talked to did not like this idea. We're not interested in this."
The meeting marked the first time residents from all three impacted cities were able to ask questions and give feedback directly to KYTC representatives. Concerned residents, business owners and leaders from all three cities packed the meeting room.
WATCH: Residents speak with KYTC for the first time about this controversial road project
While many celebrated the pause, some said that safety improvements are still needed along the corridor.
"It's a terrible stretch of road. There are accidents," said Jeff Nicely, an Erlanger business owner. "We've had a couple of our own vehicles get hit on that stretch of road. So something needs to be done."
Residents offered alternative solutions during the meeting. Schubert suggested repaving and cleaning up sidewalks, saying that widening the road would be preferable if possible. Some wanted a change in the traffic light configurations, while others wanted the project scrapped entirely.
"I do not believe this project should be paused," one resident said. "I think it should be scrapped."
Are you a Northern Kentucky resident with concerns about the project? You can reach out to Jay here:
Yeager said he acknowledged missteps in the communication and process surrounding the project announcement.
"Looking back, it is certainly easy to see that this is disruptive, and maybe that's the standard you use, and not whether you're using federal funds or not," he said.
KYTC said the goal is still to improve safety along the corridor. The transportation cabinet said there have been 640 crashes within this stretch over the past five years — a number that is two times higher than comparable corridors across Kentucky.
KYTC said there will be additional public informational sessions, though no dates have been announced.
What happens next with the project remains unclear as KYTC awaits further community input. Yeager said the length of the pause is not certain and could be delayed at least until October.
