By Dave Niinemets
Enquirer contributor

NEWPORT - The popularity of Newport on the Levee has become a pain in the Big Mac.

On some evenings and weekends, traffic from the garage entrance of the $250 million entertainment complex is backed up over the Daniel Carter Beard - "Big Mac" - Bridge on Interstate 471 all the way to Fort Washington Way in Cincinnati.

The Exit 5 ramp off I-471 to Newport's Park Avenue, though, isn't just a route to the restaurants, movies and clubs at the Levee.

It's the most convenient way home for anyone who lives in Dayton, Bellevue or Newport.

Ray Bridewell, who lives in Bellevue, has come to accept the fact that at certain times, he will have to drive at a snail's pace just to get to Kentucky 8.

"It gets terrible," said Mr. Bridewell. "It's mostly on the weekend in the evenings."

The southbound Kentucky 8 exit in Newport has long faced congestion issues. But since the opening of Newport on the Levee and other new attractions in Newport and Bellevue, the backup has gotten increasingly worse.

Newport on the Levee has tried to move cars more quickly through its parking lot by changing its parking pay structure.

But many see rebuilding the I-471 ramp as the long-term solution - a solution that officials say won't be coming anytime soon.

Rob Hans, a Campbell County maintenance engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, said plans to reconfigure the ramp are being considered in the cabinet's long-term plan.

Reworking the ramp could cost $8 million to $10 million, according to one early estimate, Mr. Hans said. That money would likely come from a combination of federal and state funds.

"The initial thoughts are to realign it so it doesn't drop off on the west side of I-471," said Mr. Hans. "It would go over or under the interstate to the east side."

But any talks of a more efficient ramp are in the earliest stages. Feasibility studies and cost analysis will have to be done first.

"There's nothing that would happen in the near future," he said.

Newport Commissioner Jan Knepshield says the city has been concerned about the ramp for years and knew it would be more burdened by new development. He figures it will be at least eight years or more before anything new could be in place.

"I think the main thing is it's a bad design and second, there's an excessive amount of vehicles coming through there. There's not much we can do about that," Mr. Knepshield said.

The number of cars crossing the river is likely to increase as the Hofbrauhaus of Munich opens its only U.S. location across from the Levee in April and Bellevue begins a $40 million office and condominium development project on the riverbank.

Mr. Knepshield said the weak economy along with other projects demanding money around the state means it won't be easy to get quick approval for the ramp project.

Although it's not the city's responsibility, he said the city is working closely with the transportation cabinet to find solutions.

"We realized a long time ago that it was bad," he said. "This really has to become a priority."

Mr. Bridewell hopes it becomes a priority soon. His family had a scare after his wife's grandparents were recently in an accident near Fort Washington Way. He said the sudden stop in traffic caused the accident.

For now, he will take the next exit on I-471 in a more roundabout way of getting home.

"It's not real convenient, but it beats going the other way and risking getting into a wreck," Mr. Bridewell said.