Covington is getting more than $4 million in federal funding to overhaul a stretch of Winston Avenue in Latonia, but the relief many drivers have been waiting for won't arrive anytime soon. The mayor announced the award at that week’s Board of Commissioners meeting: $4.1 million in Surface Transportation Block Grant funds from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. Covington must provide the remaining $1 million, bringing the total project cost to about $5.1 million.
The award, first reported by WKRC, covers improvements to Kentucky Route 16, better known locally as Winston Avenue, from the five-street intersection at Ritte's Corner south to 43rd Street. According to LINK nky, the project will add a new shared-use path, sidewalk improvements, resurfaced pavement, and upgraded pedestrian crossings along the corridor. Winston Avenue serves as the primary commercial and commuter spine running through Latonia.
Here's the catch for residents hoping for smoother pavement soon: under federal funding schedules, construction dollars for the project will not actually become available for roughly three years, the same LINK nky report notes. The city will likely seek other funding avenues to continue the work and is also seeking funding for the unfinished segment of the road south of 43rd Street.
Why the Potholes Persist
Because Winston Avenue is classified as state route KY-16, Covington does not have the legal authority to repave it on its own. Mayor Ron Washington pointed to that jurisdictional limit in August amid growing community frustration over severe potholes along the corridor, a constraint explained in reporting from 91.7 WVXU. Any structural repairs have to be coordinated with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet rather than handled by city crews, which helps explain why the deteriorating pavement has lingered even as local frustration has mounted.
The Winston Avenue award was not an isolated grant — it was part of a $65 million regional infrastructure package OKI approved on October 8, funding 37 transportation and transit projects across Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, per WKRC. That broader round of regional funding also included TANK bus replacements and sidewalk projects in neighboring Fort Mitchell and Southgate.
A Corridor Tied to Economic Development
The road's condition isn't just a commuting headache; it's intertwined with Covington's push to revive Latonia's commercial core. In September, city commissioners weighed a 15-year industrial revenue bond meant to lure door manufacturer Innovative Opening Solutions into redeveloping a vacant big-box property at 4293 Winston Ave.; the proposed purchase and renovations could total around $6 million, and the project was expected to bring 57 jobs to the corridor, the same WVXU report states.
That economic push follows an earlier policy move by Covington leaders. In July, the Board of Commissioners established an enhanced commercial façade incentive program specifically targeting the Latonia Route 16 corridor between 34th and 40th streets, according to the City of Covington. The program is a commercial façade incentive focused on the corridor.
Neighboring Taylor Mill Watching Closely
Covington's grant announcement didn't go unnoticed just across the city line. In October, officials in Taylor Mill began exploring an application for Kentucky Local Assistance Road Program funds to extend KY-16 upgrades further south into their jurisdiction, according to the Northern Kentucky Tribune. The proposed LARP application would support KY-16 upgrades within Taylor Mill's jurisdiction.
The segment of KY-16 south of 43rd Street remains unfunded for now, leaving further work dependent on additional funding. It's a reminder that even a multimillion-dollar award doesn't finish the job in one swing — Latonia's main thoroughfare is being rebuilt piece by piece, funding round by funding round.
A Neighborhood With Deep Roots
Latonia has its own long history separate from the city that now surrounds it. Ritte's Corner is a five-street intersection in the neighborhood, a detail chronicled by LINK nky.
The Winston Avenue grant also stands apart from the city's routine street maintenance work. In July 2025, Covington approved $761,353 in CDBG and capital resurfacing contracts covering 13 municipal streets across 10 neighborhoods, including 40th Street, according to the City of Covington. Winston Avenue repairs also require coordination with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.
