By Travis Gettys
Enquirer contributor

NEWPORT - Opening a restaurant on Monmouth Street seemed like a good idea in December, when Jon Diebold opened a second version of Washington Platform, his Cincinnati seafood establishment.

Diebold figured he would capitalize on the popularity of the original location, open since 1986 at Court and Elm streets, and the resurgence of Newport as a nightlife destination.

Although it's at 921 Monmouth - several blocks south of Newport On The Levee - Diebold thought he would draw diners from Fort Thomas, just two miles across the nearby Tenth Street overpass, and away from riverfront destinations.

The plan was working, Diebold said, until the overpass closed for repairs in April and a long-discussed plan to allow traffic to travel in each direction on Monmouth Street stalled.

"It's been a rough summer," said Diebold, who last month closed the doors to Washington Platform for lunch and on weeknights, which cut his staff from 12 full-time and eight part-time employees to only three part-timers.

"We're going with an absolute skeleton crew," Diebold said.

Business fell off by 60 percent within two weeks of the bridge closure, a move Diebold said caught him by surprise.

A Speedway Superamerica gas station a block from the closed bridge has felt the same effect, said manager Akalu Demisse, with business down by 50 percent to 60 percent.

Business is made worse, because drivers who enter the city from the Newport/Bellevue exit from Interstate 471 rarely stray from the riverfront, Diebold said, because Monmouth Street runs northbound only.

"That became even more apparent when the bridge closed," Diebold said.

For years, city officials have discussed allowing two-way traffic on Newport's primary business corridor, but no consensus has developed among business owners or residents, so the plan has stalled.

"I don't know what it's going to take to get that done," said Diebold.

In the meantime, Diebold said, he hopes to wait it out until the $3.9 million bridge reconstruction is completed, which Transportation Cabinet officials say will occur by an Oct. 19 deadline.

"I desperately want to scratch and claw to be open when the bridge reopens, just for my own peace of mind," Diebold said.