FORT WRIGHT, Ky. -- Tom Terlau said a newly-paved road in his hometown looks anything but finished.
Terlau, who has lived in Fort Wright for over 30 years, said Amsterdam Road was in better shape before the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet repaved it using a SAMI application, a mixture of gravel and asphalt.
"Nobody could believe that was the end product,” Terlau said. “It looks like a mess. It drives like a mess.”
Terlau has two motorcycles, and he is worried the gravel on the road could pose safety problems.
“It’s unacceptable. I compare it to going down a gravel road, in some rural farmland area, where you have to go 10 miles per hour to not tear up your vehicle,” Terlau said.
Fort Wright Mayor David Hatter sent an email to residents, telling them the project was headed by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. The application is supposed to be more cost-efficient.
Bill Finke owns Bill Finke & Sons, a small grocery store off Amsterdam Road. Finke said his store hasn’t lost business everyday since the construction, but he said business declined when crews were working on the road.
“It’s mind boggling why they did it. Nothing was wrong with the road,” Finke said. “I drive this road every day of my life. I didn’t see no potholes.”
"All you can do is laugh," The owner of Bill Finke & Sons Market says they've lost money due to Amsterdam Road construction. @WCPO pic.twitter.com/VxZyv1l1ve
— Jake Ryle (@JakeWCPO) August 23, 2017
Finke said it’s hard to believe the road is finished.
“It looks like my kids did it. You know what I mean? It doesn’t look professional,” he said.
A final inspection of Amsterdam Road is expected to be conducted sometime this week.
WCPO has contacted the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet for comment and will update this story.
