Landslide blocks highway in Northern Kentucky

For the second time in six years, a Northern Kentucky highway is closed due to a landslide.

All lanes of the Mary Ingles Highway are blocked at Tower Hill Road until further notice, Campbell County dispatchers said early Friday.

Officials said the highway is expected to be closed “for a while.”

The latest landslide was reported at 2:45 a.m. as heavy rain continues to fall in Northern Kentucky with a Flood Watch in effect until Sunday morning.At least four inches of rain has fallen so far and that could double by Sunday, forecasters said

Earlier landslide closed highway for several years

The Mary Ingles Highway reopened less than a year ago after a 2019 landslide shut it down from Tower Hill Road to River Road.It was closed until July 2024 for a $9.1 million maintenance and repair project to stabilize the area.

At the time, the Kentucky Transporation Cabinet said the work would “preserve the vital connection between the river cities of Bellevue, Dayton and Silver Grove to Fort Thomas and surrounding areas.”The maintenance project from Tower Hill Road to KY 445 focused on improving 2.869 miles of the road.It included excavating, installing railroad rails, wall cribbing, adding multiple soil retaining walls to shore up the hillside, reconstructing the shoulder area, removing and replacing pipe, adding culverts, paving, and adding guardrails, according to the Kentucky Traffic Cabinet.

Enquirer media partner Fox 19 provided this report.