The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project held the first of several public hearings on Tuesday, where the results of a supplemental environmental assessment, first published in January, were shared publicly. Residents, businesses and organizations from around the region attended the event to ask questions and leave public feedback.
Covington resident Rick Copp, who attended Tuesday’s hearing, remembered the construction of the Texas turnaround on Pike Street and wondered if the bridge project would cause the same kind of disruption.
“They were putting the pylons or steel down in the ground, the constant ringing of it, we could feel it in our house,” Copp said. “Our house was shaking.”
He also worried about dust and dirt that might arise from the construction as well as how the project might affect traffic.
Such feedback is why leaders of the project are holding the public hearings, the second of which is scheduled to take place at Longworth Hall in Cincinnati on Feb. 21. That will be followed by a virtual hearing on Feb. 22.
People can leave comments directly to the project until Mar. 8, and the environmental assessment approval itself is scheduled for April.
Placards showing the details of different parts of the corridor project were displayed on stands throughout the room. Representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Ohio Department of Transportation attended to help people with their inquiries, and a presentation gave an overview of the project and the supplemental environmental assessment before the public was allowed to formally comment.
The corridor project itself dates back to the early 2000s, and an initial environmental assessment, which is required by federal law, was performed in 2012. The corridor project languished for a bit due to a dearth of funding but was revived in 2022 after the governors of both Ohio and Kentucky successfully lobbied the federal government for $1.6 billion in infrastructure funding. Overall, the project is expected to cost $3.6 billion.
The presentation discussed the environmental impacts the project was expecting in light of the new supplemental assessment.
About 51 acres of land will be needed to complete the project, and it will entail the relocation of four residential properties and 24 commercial properties (with 1 partial relocation), including 14 tenant businesses in Longworth Hall, a portion of which will need to be removed to make room for the corridor construction. The project may also acquire more land in Covington’s Lewisburg neighborhood following the approval of the supplemental assessment results in April.
The presentation also discussed the impact the corridor would have on local wetlands and streams: About three acres of wetlands will be affected. Moreover, the construction will impact about 90 acres of forested land, much of which is along the existing roadways.
Although the project representatives insisted the impact would be small, they admitted that habitats for three species of endangered bats and mussel habitats in the Ohio River would inevitably butt up against the construction. To offset these effects, the project representatives said the mussel habitats would be relocated, and the tree clearing would only take place during the times of the year when the bats aren’t present. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will likewise donate to the Imperiled Bat Conservation Fund.
Finally, the presenters discussed the effects the construction would have on what they referred to as the Goebel Park Complex, which includes Goebel Park itself, Kenny Shields Park and the nearby dog park. The proposed changes would see 2.84 acres of land removed (up from the 2012 projection of 2.53 acres), the removal of the basketball courts, the removal of about 350 feet of walking trails and the closure of Goebel Pool. In all the park complex will shrink by about 2.6 acres. The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will provide funding to the City of Covington to help them develop a new master plan for the park, which will include plans for a new pool and replacement courts.
The presentation also discussed the possibility for noise barriers. Certain conditions must be met in order for the state to pay for noise barriers, and the transportation cabinet has already identified seven areas where noise barriers will go. These areas are at various locations beginning north around 4th Street in Covington and extending south of Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell.
In addition, the transportation cabinet is proposing noise walls in Mainstrasse in Covington and just west of the interstate along Maple Avenue in Fort Mitchell, even though those locations don’t meet the criteria for noise wall construction.
Indeed, noise and fallout from the construction were on attendees’ minds.
Covington resident Ann Mitchell said she was concerned about traffic. She discussed the closures of the Brent Spence Spence Bridge following a truck accident in November of 2020, which had the effect rerouting semi traffic into Covington’s residential areas.
“During the repair period for the Brent Spence we had an enormous amount of trouble with trucks coming down through the residential neighborhoods because they didn’t know exactly where to go,” Mitchell said. “I think that rerouting thru trucks during the construction period on 275 would be a huge help in avoiding that going forward.”
Nicole Clements of the Banklick Watershed Council expressed her worries about the construction’s effects on a tributary of Banklick Creek between Kyle’s Lane and Dixie Highway. Several businesses also pitched their services to the project.
At least one attendee, Park Hills resident Bill Osterhage, was worried how the project would directly impact his property. Osterhage said that the construction would be coming extremely close to his house, but the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet had not yet contacted him about buying it up. He added that he’d already contacted an attorney about the matter.
“I would rather see them purchase the house, make me a decent offer, rather than just fuss with them and be disappointed in the end,” Osterhage said.
The next in-person public hearing will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 21 beginning at 12 p.m. at Longworth Hall Event Center in Cincinnati. A virtual public hearing will take place on Thursday, Feb. 22 from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Public comments on the Brent Spence Corridor Project will be accepted until March 8. All comments will receive a response.
Learn how to attend the virtual hearing and how to submit public comments at publicinput.com/bsbc.
Read the recent supplemental environmental report as well as other relevant documents for the corridor project at the links below. Hard copies of the environmental supplement are also freely available at the Covington branch of the Kenton County Library.