Cross the Brent Spence Bridge southbound and take Exit 192, and you now land on Crescent Avenue. The old ramp straight onto W. Fifth Street is gone. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet calls that closure permanent. To reach Fifth, drivers now go right on Crescent, right on Third Street, right on Philadelphia Street and back to W. Fifth. WLWT reported that the loop can add a few minutes to a commute.

The Fifth Street off-ramp is the one ramp closure listed as permanent. The other closed ramps in Covington are scheduled to reopen in 2026 or 2027. The changes with the longest timelines are on neighborhood streets: W. 9th Street, 12th Street, Bullock Avenue and the stretch of W. Fifth beside MainStrasse and Goebel Park. Several of those are scheduled to stay closed until the corridor project reaches substantial completion, which the official Brent Spence Bridge Corridor travel page puts in 2033.

Sorted by End Date, the Map Looks Different

The project lists each closure as its own advisory. Sorted by when each one is scheduled to end, they look like this as posted in October 2026:

The bottom of the table belongs almost entirely to local streets. The 12th Street ramps have end dates in 2026 and 2027. The 12th Street segment the southbound ramp used to feed has an end date of 2033. One of the 2026 entries is only partly reversible, too. An earlier project advisory said the 12th Street access from Bullock stays closed for the length of the project, so a reopened southbound ramp would not bring back the old connection.

As this post goes live, the southbound 12th Street on-ramp and that stretch of Bullock Avenue are still listed as closed "through October 2026." No reopening date has been announced. Before you count on that ramp in the first week of November, check the live Kentucky travel updates, where you can also sign up for travel alerts.

The Pike Street Corridor Is Absorbing the Detours

Look at where the detours send traffic. The W. 9th Street closure sends cars along W. Pike Street under the interstate. The northbound 12th Street detour ends with a left onto Pike, then Simon Kenton Way and MLK Blvd. The southbound detour runs down Pike Street and Dixie Highway to Kyles Lane.

That same corridor has had its own utility work this fall. Overnight water line tie-ins closed the eastbound right lane of Pike between Hermes Avenue and the southbound Pike Street off-ramp starting Monday, Oct. 12. That work was scheduled to finish by 6:30 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 23, weather permitting. KYTC said it would announce any further utility work needed there. Separate daytime Duke Energy work was expected to bring single-lane closures through late October.

A September 25 update from the City of Covington laid out Duke's gas work in three zones. Most of the gas work south of W. 12th Street on Hermes Avenue was done, apart from a small number of homes Duke could not get into and some pavement repair. Duke was aiming to finish gas preparation work on Pike Street by mid-October, though it called that date tentative. Conversion work on W. 12th Street and MLK was set to begin in early October. After the new lines go in, Duke expects about two more weeks of restoration, including cleanup and removal of old gas boxes.

The project page also lists two permanent changes to the grid nearby: Simon Kenton Way becomes two-way between 12th Street and Pike Street, and a new traffic signal goes in at Pike Street and Hermes Avenue. If you used to treat Simon Kenton as one-way, look again before you turn.

Third Street Came Back

Third Street reopened after months of utility work, which a City of Covington advisory described as restoring "an important east-west connection through the city." The two changes were tied together. The Fifth Street ramp could only close once Third reopened, because Third now carries the Fifth Street detour. LINK nky covered the switch when it was announced.

KYTC says the W. Fifth closure clears space for crews to remove pavement, install new storm sewers and build up an embankment. WLWT reported that once Fifth Street reopens, "it will look significantly different than it does currently."

Walking to Goebel Park Takes a Different Route Now

The changes reach pedestrians too. The pedestrian bridge over northbound I-71/75 at the W. Fifth Street off-ramp closed on or after May 18. W. 9th Street has been closed between Crescent Avenue and Willow Run Road since May 4, and it is scheduled to stay closed until 2033. KYTC's posted walking route for pedestrians coming from Goebel Park goes like this:

1. Turn left on W. 9th Street toward Philadelphia Street.
2. Turn right on Philadelphia Street.
3. Turn right on W. Pike Street.
4. Turn right on Lewis Street.
5. Turn right on Western Avenue to reconnect with W. 9th Street.

Drivers going north to south are directed to Philadelphia Street. Eastbound drivers on Pike can take Main Street back to 9th.

The Park Plan Is Being Drawn Around the Construction

Goebel Park opened in 1909 and sits in MainStrasse. As LINK nky put it, the park's location next to the bridge work means its future "is in flux." The city hired KZF Design, a Cincinnati architecture firm, to write a master plan covering Goebel Park and the neighboring Kenney Shields Park. At a July 28 open house, KZF showed early renderings. The Goebel side leans toward natural areas such as an event lawn and a nature play area. The Kenney Shields side gets more amenities, including basketball and pickleball courts.

KZF had 412 completed surveys by then. Two of the top themes connect directly to the street changes above: walking and biking to the park and through it, and preserving the bell tower. The city's stated goals for the plan include improving connections and making the park "a welcoming gateway to Covington." The park's edges are being redrawn at the same time as the streets around it. That gives the plan a chance to design around the post-2033 street grid.

What Business Owners Have Reported So Far

The business reports have changed over time. In June, as the work started, WLWT and FOX19 talked with shop owners on and near Pike Street about access and parking. At Golden Gelato on Pike Street, the owner stressed how much the shop relies on customers from outside the neighborhood.

By late July, WLWT's follow-up heard a steadier story. Michael Mercer, owner of Doubt It, said foot traffic was up. Paul Weckman, who runs Otto's, Frida's and The Standard with Emily Wolff, said the restaurants had seen no negative impact and were having one of their busiest years. Handzy Shop + Studio's sales rose in July. Co-owner Brittney Braemer, who commutes in from Latonia, said she had noticed a bit more rush-hour traffic but "haven't seen a huge impact from the bridges or the traffic."

Mayor Ron Washington told WLWT he has fielded concerns about parking, especially on narrow streets. "They call us, they talk about, you know, construction vehicles that are parked on the street creating parking issues for them because there's limited parking," he said, adding that KYTC has responded to the city's concerns. In WLWT's September 14 report, published the day of the Fifth Street switch, one Covington business owner said customers were "staying longer."

All of those accounts come from the summer and early fall. The closures most likely to change daily routines on the west side are the ones set to run until 2033.

At Dwell Well Group, we follow these closures block by block, because a detour can change how a home's location works day to day. If you're thinking about selling on Covington's west side and want help showing buyers how a home connects to MainStrasse, Pike Street and the interstate under the current traffic pattern, Request a Dwell Well Consultation.