The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, one of the largest construction projects in the region’s history, is courting prospective construction companies.
The Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington hosted a forum this week for contractors interested in working on the project.
Renderings featured at the forum allowed attendees to see how the project, which is estimated to cost $2.2 billion, could unfold.
The corridor stretches along I-75 from Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell to the Western Hills Viaduct in Cincinnati.
Originally opened in 1963, the Brent Spence Bridge was declared “functionally obsolete” but “structurally sound” by the National Bridge Inventory in 1998. Leaders in both Kentucky and Ohio have been trying to find a way to address the need for a new bridge, and implement repairs to the current one.
The current plan calls for the construction of a second bridge in addition to work on the existing one and the stretch of highway along the corridor.
“Our team has been busy working with our counterparts in Ohio to ensure we are ready to move forward once funds are awarded,” said Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray. “We have already taken many of the important steps necessary for a project of this size and scope that start long before the first shovel is placed.”
The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor is one of the busiest thoroughfares for local and national traffic in the United States. It is responsible for roughly $450 billion to $600 billion in commerce annually – which equates to about 3 percent of the United States GDP, officials estimate.
Reconstruction will consist of five miles of I-71 to I-75 in Kentucky and one mile in Ohio. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a memorandum of understanding on Feb. 28 to construct a new companion bridge over the Ohio River, just to the west of the existing BSB.
“The memorandum spells out our obligations and positions us to quickly apply for these federal dollars, which will allow us not only to build this new bridge, but to do it without tolls,” Beshear said in February.
The project will feature interstate reconstruction and the widening and reconfiguring of interchanges. The lanes on the Brent Spence Bridge will be reduced down to three, which was the original number of lanes on the bridge when it first opened in 1963. Officials from ODOT and KYTC say the lane reduction will widen shoulders on the bridge and increase overall safety.
Planners have targeted January 2029 as the substantial completion date for the project in their Draft Delivery Timeline.
Tuesday’s forum showcased the timeline to prospective construction companies. Below is an analysis of the most important steps in the schedule for the remainder of 2022.
Timeline
- The Industry Outreach period is scheduled to last from May until October 2022. This is the period where the Bi-State Management team will provide opportunities for all firms interested in the project to ask questions, provide input to the process, and meet with ODOT and KYTC personnel to learn more about the details.
- The next key period is the Request for Qualifications. The RFQ is an information gathering process where interested firms have to prove that they are qualified to take on the work. The firms will present evidence demonstrating their capacity to complete large-scale projects. Personnel qualifications for key roles will also be taken into consideration.
- The RFQ is scheduled to be released on Oct.31, 2022. The Bi-State Management team said they intend to identify a three-firm shortlist which will be revealed on Jan. 12, 2023.
- A finalized Request for Proposal is scheduled to be advertised to the shortlisted firms on Jan. 17, 2023. This RFP will gauge a firm’s ability to manage the project.
- The winning firm’s proposal is anticipated to be announced in October 2023.
Renderings
Below are the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Design Build Project concepts displayed at the forum. The renderings outline future construction concepts for interstate reconstruction and the widening and reconfiguring of interchanges and take you from the beginning of the construction in Fort Mitchell across the Ohio River to the Western Hills Viaduct in Cincinnati.
The announced Texas Turnaround is highlighted in the renderings above. Project planners say the project will improve northbound traffic into Ohio from Covington by giving drivers more time to move to their intended lane.
Covington drivers will be able to access Pike Street by using an existing ramp that carries traffic to I-71/75 southbound, then turn left onto a new ramp, then left again onto I-71/75 northbound.
I-71 and 75 northbound lanes will be re-striped, providing an additional travel lane from Pike Street to the Brent Spence Bridge.
Find out more about the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project here: www.brentspencebridgecorridor.com.