FORT WRIGHT, Kentucky -- They say you get what you pay for. In Fort Wright, a road project that was meant to save taxpayer dollars comes at a different cost.
A newly-completed "preventative maintenance" project on Amsterdam Road is meant to prevent potholes from forming, according to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The same cost-effective process -- which involves sealing small cracks, then laying down a thin layer of gravel -- will be used on Turkeyfoot Road and at least two other roads in Northern Kentucky.
Compared to the next-closest alternative, this is is one-fifth the cost.
The problem? Residents think it's an eyesore.
"I can't believe our taxpayer dollars went to make that mess," said Tom Terlau, a 30-year resident of Fort Wright.
Bill Finke, owner of Bill Finke & Sons restaurant, is skeptical of the road's durability.
"I just wait for the big snow storm we get and they use the plows on it," he said. "All that gravel is going to be up."
An official from the transportation cabinet said the process is new, and there are lessons to be learned from the negative feedback.
"It's not what we hoped, obviously," Bob Yeager, chief engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet in Covington. "I don't know, I'd expect a little better. But it may serve the purpose."
Yeager said the concept is similar to those broadcast in commercials for premium oil -- spending a little extra time and money now will save you money in the long run.
"We're looking at preventative maintenance," he said. "So it's to keep it from needing something. It's like waxing your car -- your car may look nice and shiny, but if you put the wax on there you protect it from the rust."
Yeager said concerns like Finke's may be at ease knowing that this process has been used in cities with cold weather.
"We have to give this a little bit of time to see if there are mistakes how we correct them," Yeager said. "We have to stretch our taxpayer dollar just as far as we can."
