Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan

Covington-Newport Bike Plan Advances Towards Adoption

After a year-long planning process with steering committee meetings, focus groups, and two public engagement sessions, a draft version of the Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan is now available for review! This interactive planning document is meant to be a roadmap for implementing a safe and connected bicycle transportation network that serves all ages and abilities in Covington and Newport.

Bike Plan Adoption Process

City of Newport Commission Meeting - March 11, 2024

Tri-State Trails presented the draft plan to the Newport Board of Commissioners at their March meeting. 

City of Covington Commission Meeting - January 23, 2024

Tri-State Trails presented the draft plan to the Covington Board of Commissioners at their January meeting.

Review the draft plan!

Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan - Part 1 (Pages 1-45)

  • Executive Summary
  • Plan Overview 
  • Previous Planning Documents and Studies 
  • Public Engagement

Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan - Part 2 (Pages 46-91)

  • Infrastructure Recommendations 
  • Non-Infrastructure Recommendations 

Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan - Part 3 (Pages 91-105)

  • Funding Strategies
  • Conclusion 
  • Resources & References 

Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan - Appendix A 

  • Covington Bicycle Facility Options Matrix

Covington-Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan - Appendix B 

  • Newport Bicycle Facility Options Matrix

Second Round of Public Input

Community Bike Ride - November 1, 2023

On November 1, 25 people joined Tri-State Trails to explore routes proposed in the plan by bike. The route was approximately 8 miles on streets around Covington and Newport.

Virtual Public Meeting - October 23, 2023

Over 80 people registered to attend the Covington + Newport Bike Plan Virtual Public Meeting on October 23 for an informative 45-minute session followed by a Q&A where they learned about our recommendations for the proposed bike plan for Covington and Newport, Kentucky. You can access the meeting recording here and find links to the presentation, maps, and plans below.

First Round of Public Input

On May 31 and June 6, Tri-State Trails hosted two public open houses for the Covington + Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan. We invited the public to share their experiences bicycling in these communities and to provide feedback on the initial proposed recommendations for the plan. Below are the materials that were presented at the public open houses.

The public comment period for the open house was from May 31 to July 14, 2023, and received over 200 responses. Tri-State Trails subsequently organized four focus group meetings with local businesses (6/29/23), residents and neighborhood associations (6/30/23), advocacy and community organizations (7/5/23), and local government stakeholders (7/6/23). Tri-State Trails used the feedback to revise proposed routes and draft non-infrastructure recommendations for the cities.  You can view a summary of the feedback from the public open houses that was presented to the Steering Committee here.

About the Bicycle Transportation Plan

In January 2023, the City Commissions in both Covington and Newport approved a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with Tri-State Trails in developing a joint Bicycle Transportation Plan for both cities. Tri-State Trails scope of work includes the following tasks:

  • Inventory existing conditions;
  • Review previously adopted community plans;
  • Identify key gaps in the bicycle transportation network, with a focus on creating a protected bikeway network within Covington and Newport that can extend into neighboring cities;
  • Host community engagement for the plan; and
  • Create a short and long-term prioritized project list that aligns with potential funding sources.

On January 31, Tri-State Trails organized a project kickoff meeting with representatives from the City of Covington, City of Newport, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, and the Devou Good Foundation. The first Steering Committee was held on March 15 to develop the vision and outline the project timeline for the Bicycle Transportation Plan.  Initial conceptual recommendations were presented to Covington, Newport, and KYTC during the month of April.

On May 31 and June 6, Tri-State Trails hosted public open houses to review existing conditions and present initial recommendations for the plan.  In June and July, Tri-State Trails organized four focus group meetings with local businesses, residents and neighborhood associations, advocacy and community organizations, and local government stakeholders.  Tri-State Trails used the feedback received to prepare revised recommendations to the cities.

Throughout August and September, Tri-State Trails examined the configuration of each street considered for bike infrastructure and prepared planning level designs for the following facility options: two-way protected bike lanes, one-way protected bike lanes, standard bike lanes, bicycle boulevards, and alternative configurations.

Bicycle Transportation Plan in the News

Granger, Nathan. "Covington to consider bike safety recommendations." LinkNKY News, 30 Jan. 2024, https://linknky.com/news/2024/01/30/tri-state-trails-covington-cycling-infrastructure/

Swartsell, Nick. "Covington will give update on its bike plan Monday" WVXU, 23 Oct. 2023, https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2023-10-23/covington-bike-plan-update-monday

Swartsell, Nick. "First draft of bike plan for Covington and Newport unveiled" WVXU, 31 May 2023, https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2023-05-31/first-draft-bike-plan-covington-newport-tri-state-trails

The Covington + Newport Bicycle Transportation Plan is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Devou Good Foundation.