A group of Northern Kentucky cities, businesses and organizations are launching a community-wide initiative to revive businesses impacted by the closure of the Daniel Carter Beard (Big Mac) Bridge.
The “Bridging Back Business” initiative runs from Feb. 24 to March 15 and features businesses and restaurants in Covington, Newport, Bellevue, Dayton and Ft. Thomas that will offer discounts and specials. Some will also host events to encourage the community to come out and support local businesses now that the Big Mac Bridge has reopened following a fire in November.
The Big Mac Bridge on I-471 shut down on Nov. 1 after a fire spread from a wooden playground at Sawyer Point to the bridge, damaging several steel beams as well as a portion of the bridge deck and a sign truss on the southbound side. The fire briefly closed both sides of the bridge; the northbound lanes reopened quickly, but the southbound side remained closed for repairs, snarling traffic on both sides of the river for months. The bridge officially reopened on Feb. 8 — about a month ahead of schedule.
Four people — Terry Stiles, Zachary Stumpf, James Hamilton and Kaitlen Hall — have been charged in the fire. Stiles and Stumpf allegedly started the fire and have been charged with aggravated arson. Hamilton and Hall were charged with obstructing the investigation.
Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves says he and his team heard from businesses in the community that they experienced as much as a 30% decline in sales from 2023, which they attributed to the unexpected bridge closure.
“The long hours and dedication of the workers in zero-degree weather at the beginning contributed greatly to the completion of the Big Mac Bridge project one month earlier than anticipated,” Cleves said in a press release. “Even though the repair was finished ahead of schedule, it has still been difficult to watch our businesses struggle. This motivated me to try to find a solution. When all of the cities came together as one, I knew the impact would be exponentially greater.”
“The bridge closure has brought significant quality of life challenges, with heavy traffic rerouting through our community, disrupting daily routines and creating a strain on local businesses and residents,” Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli said in a press release. “The impact of the Bridging Back Business campaign is important to restoring the routine of customers for our businesses.”
The Bridging Back Businesses initiative kicks off in Bellevue and Dayton the week of Feb. 24, with Newport, Covington and Ft. Thomas following the week of March 3. All cities will offer specials and events the final week of March 10.
Each city and participating business will provide details on the various specials and events, but examples include lunch specials, extended happy hours and complimentary appetizers, promotions from retailers and specialty cocktails and mocktails with Molly Wellmann.
New Riff Distilling will also sponsor the Bridging NKY Cocktail Contest, which will culminate in a grand cocktail showdown at the distillery’s Aquifer Bar on March 16. Northern Kentucky bars and restaurants can participate in the competition, which will have them create a signature New Riff Rye cocktail to help bring in more foot traffic.
Patrons at participating restaurants can order the drink and scan a QR code to vote on the best ones. Winners in each city will be invited to the showdown to face off and create an original cocktail on the spot using New Riff Rye and a mystery ingredient provided by Kroger.
To see the specials each week, visit the participating cities’ websites and social media channels.
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This article appears in Feb 19 – Mar 4, 2025.
