ELSMERE, Ky. — The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) announced plans to pause the start of a road reconfiguration on Dixie Highway Tuesday.
The plan was called a "road diet" for a stretch of Dixie Highway between Turfway Road and Commonwealth Avenue. The corridor that would be affected runs through Florence, Erlanger and Elsmere.
KYTC said pausing the plan will allow time to "re-examine the project" and "expand public engagement efforts about the project aimed at improving safety and traffic flow."
The project initially received pushback from Northern Kentucky residents, business owners and city leaders.
“We have heard the feedback from local officials and residents and we’re taking a pause to open up more conversation about why this direction was recommended,” said Bob Yeager, KYTC Department of Highways district engineer . “We share the same priority as local officials — protecting the lives of the people in our communities. We will continue conversations with an open mind to make adjustments where needed.”
KYTC said roadway reconfigurations are a measure proven both nationwide and across Kentucky to reduce crashes and improve safety, without major disruptions to traffic flow.
"The proposed restriping would add a dedicated center left-turn lane, making it easier and safer to turn into businesses and neighborhoods and moving turning vehicles out of the through lane," KYTC said.
Monday, we spoke to Jeff Schreiver, vice president of Swan Floral and Gift Shop in Elsmere, about the proposal.
Schreiver said he thought there would be research before KYTC decided to reconfigure the road outside his flower shop.
"I thought there would be research, you know, there would be forums where the public would have an opportunity to speak and talk about the changes, and maybe make changes to what was proposed, but apparently, there hasn't," Schreiver said. "There's not going to be any of that. They're just going to do the project, from what I understand."
KYTC said the plan would be to take the four-lane stretch of Dixie Highway between Turfway Road and Commonwealth Avenue and restripe it as part of what officials are calling a pilot program.
The announcement caught officials in Elsmere, Erlanger, and Florence by surprise, with some learning about it just days before, in what they described as a hastily scheduled meeting with KYTC.
In a city council meeting Monday, Elsmere Mayor Marty Lenhof said the plan especially affects Elsmere.
"This whole corridor takes care of Elsmere," Lenhof said.
For Schreiver, whose business sits right off Dixie Highway, the change threatens both customer access and employee commutes.
"I've already heard comments that people are not going to come this way because of the traffic situation," Schreiver told us. "And it's going to be very difficult for anybody to turn left out of our business. So that means they're probably not going to come here because they don't want to have to deal with that situation."
While Swan Floral and Gift Shop has access to a traffic light, which could help traffic, Schreiver said he worries about other businesses along the corridor that won't have that advantage.
"Most of the businesses down Dixie Highway won't have that, and it's turning left both ways," he said. "If you've got one lane that all the traffic is in, there's not going to be openings for you to pull out and make good access on the Dixie Highway."
WATCH: Concerned Elsmere residents chime in about the proposed road changes
The project would also affect major intersections, including the turn from Turfway onto Dixie Highway.
Officials said they worry the changes will force traffic into residential neighborhoods as drivers seek alternate routes.
Elsmere resident Danielle Behler said the road already experiences significant congestion during peak hours.
"There are certain times of day in which (it) is already backed on a daily basis. Rush hour in the mornings, rush hours in the evening, to and from school because of many schools off of Dixie Highway," Behler said.
In a statement, KYTC said that the project aims to "improve safety," citing pedestrian safety and left-turn accidents as primary concerns. Elsmere Police Chief Russell Wood said KYTC representatives presented data to local leaders in a closed door meting from similar projects.
"In the right conditions, modifying lanes maintains, if not improves, the level of service of moving traffic while improving safety. It’s been done in Campbell County, large cities like Louisville, and nationwide with meaningful safety improvements," KYTC said.
In Northern Kentucky, KYTC said initial crash data from the area "points to a high rate" over the past five years, with as many as 640 crashes in the area and approximately one-third involving rear-end collisions.
Wood said his department's data shows two pedestrians have been hit along the part of the corridor in Elsmere in the past five years.
"To congest and reconfigure this corridor for the sake of two incidents that may or may not been avoided by the traffic pattern that we have right now, there's a lot of factors that are in play with accidents," Wood said.
Wood also questioned KYTC's use of national data rather than local statistics.
"They're sitting wherever they're sitting, and collecting data points from a national database, as opposed to a local database, or at least consulting with us," Wood said. "We had no idea this was going on. No one spoke to me about this."
Wood said he is concerned about emergency vehicle access and the potential for more serious accidents.
"The increased probability of accidents now becoming head-on, in my opinion, has now increased," Wood said. "You're compiling those things, and you're making those factors worse, in my opinion."
Wood said KYTC data showed that the corridor currently handles 16,000 to 21,000 vehicles daily, below the 25,000 threshold that would typically require different traffic management.
"We're looking at eight and 12 years from now, we're going to be really over that limit," Wood said, noting that KYTC reviews such projects every eight to 12 years.
According to KYTC, the proposal would also include additional enhancements such as:
- Adding a 4-foot buffer between sidewalks and vehicle lanes
- Widening current travel lanes
- Reconstructing sidewalk ramps in various areas
- Repairing curb box inlets to improve drainage
- Installing radar traffic detection equipment
- Installing new signal heads and pedestrian signage at various intersections
- Optimizing signals and traffic flow to align with the new layout
But Schreiver said he's witnessed problems on other sections of Dixie Highway with similar configurations.
"I don't think it's going to make it safer, because you're not going to be able to turn left, and you're not going to be able to go around something," he said.
Behler said the lack of communication with local officials has become an issue.
"I obviously do not agree with them not communicating, at the very least, with the local government, regardless if the public as a whole knew," Behler said.
Schreiver also said there should be greater community involvement in transportation decisions.
"Let the people be involved. Let the cities know, let the mayors, the city council, the people that run the cities, the people that live here because they know this road better than anybody," he said.
In a statement Tuesday, the City of Florence said Mayor Dr. Julie Aubuchon thanked KYTC for its willingness to pause the project. The statement said city officials stressed the importance of advanced notification and public engagement when projects of this scale are proposed.
Erlanger will hold a meeting Tuesday at 7 p.m. to discuss the project. Elsmere officials say they expect KYTC representatives and state legislators to attend.
KYTC said it will host additional opportunities for public engagement in coming weeks to provide information and gather input, which will be announced on the project website.
