Families dropping students off at Ryle High School and Cooper High School should budget extra drive time when Boone County Schools open Wednesday, August 19, because the KY-536 widening project on Bristow Road and Mount Zion Road remains an active construction zone with no announced completion date.
Jake Ryle, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's public information officer, made the comments in a WCPO interview published Thursday, July 30, as crews continue earthwork, bridge extensions, and roundabout construction along the corridor connecting southern Boone and Kenton counties.
"Give yourself plenty of extra time, especially during those morning drop-off and afternoon pickup times," Ryle said. He added that the state is working to reduce traffic impacts but stressed the corridor is an active work zone with more parents and school buses about to share the road.
Ryle High School sits at 10379 U.S. Highway 42 in Union, adjacent to the construction corridor, and enrolls more than 2,000 students in grades 9 through 12. Cooper High School, also in Union at 2855 Longbranch Road, relies on roads within the construction zone for daily drop-off and pickup.
What's being built
The project will widen KY-536 to two lanes in each direction, add several roundabouts, upgrade drainage, and extend bridges. Crews recently poured concrete for an extended bridge over a railroad on Bristow Road. The cabinet describes the corridor as one of Northern Kentucky's fastest-growing areas and says the improvements target east-west connectivity between southern Boone and Kenton counties.
What families should know
No completion date has been set.
No alternate-route guidance specific to school traffic was available as of July 30. Families using Bristow Road or Mount Zion Road for school drop-off and pickup should expect lane restrictions and slower speeds for the foreseeable future.
Boone County Schools' first day of the 2026-27 school year is Wednesday, August 19, with roughly 21,000 students returning across more than 25 campuses districtwide.
