NEWPORT, Ky. (AP) — Officials have raised safety concerns over plans to build a Ferris wheel along Newport’s riverfront.
Local news outlets report that the Louisville District of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent a letter to Mayor Jerry Peluso on June 28, warning him that the project would weaken the levee’s system.
The agency is now asking developer Koch Development to consider alternate locations or to submit more detailed documents that are commensurate to the approval level required to build the Ferris wheel.
Army Corps levee safety officer John Bock also suggested incorporating a new floor wall section into the design or designing a Ferris wheel foundation that’s independent of the levee embankment.
The 235-foot SkyWheel would sit along the Ohio River and offer people panoramic views of Ohio and Kentucky.