News

Flooding closes Covington roads

The statue of John A. Roebling between Greenup Street and Riverside Drive is stranded in the rising waters of the Ohio River, which have blocked access to a couple of roads in the City.

 

COVINGTON, Ky. - Riverside Drive in Historic Licking Riverside and River Road in Botany Hills are closed because of flooding. 

Barricades are blocking access to the roads, which are under water anyway, Covington Public Works Director Rick Davis said. Drivers are warned not to drive in any standing water on these or any flooded roads.
 
(Experts say as little as 6 inches of water can cause an engine to stall, and as little as 1 foot can cause a car to lift off the ground and float.)
 
Several parking lots along the Ohio River are also under water.
 
The Ohio River is hovering around 55 and a half feet, almost 4 feet above flood stage in the Cincinnati pool. River forecasters say it will begin dropping, although very slowly.
 
On Monday, Covington installed the floodgate at the Madison Overlook at the foot of Madison Avenue, but it will not need to install any more floodgates at this time barring an unexpected and excessive rise in the river, Davis said. That floodgate will stay up as long as there’s any danger of flooding, since putting it up takes more than a dozen workers a whole day.
 
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