The long-running widening of Bristow Road (KY 1303) in Kenton County is officially complete, expanding the roadway from two lanes to four between Beechgrove Elementary School and KY 536. Crews broke ground on the project in September 2024, and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet says major improvements were finished by early October.
The announcement came Tuesday via a KYTC District 6 Facebook post showing before-and-after images of the corridor. The 0.92-mile stretch, contracted to Riegler Blacktop Inc. for $12.4 million according to a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet bulletin, now includes new curb and gutter, sidewalks on both sides of the roadway, and multi-use paths. The same bulletin had initially targeted an October 31, 2025 completion date, so the project ultimately took roughly a year longer than first projected.
Beyond simply adding lanes, the project was aimed at addressing flooding concerns that have long plagued the area. The transportation cabinet's bulletin put it plainly, noting the work would greatly improve drainage in an area that has been prone to flooding, and the finished corridor now features upgraded storm sewer and drainage systems. KYTC's latest post also cautions that minor corrective work may continue even after final inspection, though officials expect it to have minimal impact on traffic.
A Milestone Months in the Making
This wasn't a quiet finish line. Traffic was shifted onto the new pavement back on June 19, a milestone that NKyTribune covered as part of the broader Mt. Zion Road-Bristow Road corridor upgrade. That same report had construction wrapping by late summer 2026, a timeline that landed close to, but not exactly matching, the completion now described in October.
The Tribune's report also detailed a new roundabout under construction at the intersection of KY 536 and KY 1303 — a feature confirmed in the seed facts as expected to open by the end of 2026 and tied directly into the adjacent KY 536 widening project. Southern Kenton County's residential and commercial growth has been steadily driving up traffic volumes along this corridor, the outlet reported, part of why the upgrades were deemed necessary in the first place.
KY 536 Work Continues Through 2027
While Bristow Road is finished, the connected KY 536 widening project between KY 1303 and Williamswoods Drive remains very much active, with completion scheduled for summer 2027. A separate transportation cabinet bulletin describes that work as widening the corridor from two lanes to four, alongside multi-use paths, bridge widening, curb and gutter installation, and storm sewer and drainage improvements. That $30,750,724.98 contract was awarded to Eaton Asphalt Paving Company, per the cabinet, though Construction Equipment Guide has previously referred to the same segment as a $30 million project expected to finish by November — a discrepancy in reported figures and timelines that the cabinet's own bulletin does not resolve.
KY 536 carries outsized importance for the region. WCPO has reported that the route stretches across Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties and serves as the main east-west connector for 37 different municipalities. The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce has ranked the KY-536 project second on its infrastructure priority list, trailing only the Brent Spence Bridge project in urgency.
Drivers Still Urged to Expect Delays
Even with Bristow Road finished, commuters in the area aren't entirely in the clear. WCPO reported that drivers should continue to expect delays, particularly around school drop-off and pickup periods, as construction on the adjacent KY 536 corridor rolls on. For a region that's watched this network of roads evolve for years — including an earlier KY 536 segment between U.S. 25 and KY 1303 that the transportation cabinet says was completed back in June 2024 with its own four-lane widening, multi-use paths, roundabouts, signal improvements and drainage upgrades — the Bristow Road finish line marks real progress, even as the broader overhaul pushes toward 2027.
