After decades of studies, presidential visits and requests for funding, construction on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project will begin in 2023.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, along with Sen. Mitch McConnell, announced Thursday that $1.6 billion in federal funding grants requested for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project have been approved, essentially giving the green light for construction to begin.
Groundbreaking on the project is anticipated in late 2023. Substantial completion on the project is slated for 2029.
“We’re thrilled, we’ve just been waiting for this day,” said Brent Cooper, president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. “Today, we celebrate not only the upcoming investment in infrastructure, but also a commitment to helping improve our economy and our collective quality of life. For this project to happen, it took action from leaders at the federal, state and local levels. They all deserve recognition and our thanks for making this happen.”
The next step will be the selection process to determine the contractor team to complete the project. That effort will begin in January.
The project, the governors announced, is likely to cost about $3.6 billion. The increase from previous estimates was not unexpected due to the recent impact of inflation on construction. As a result, the project team is updating the project’s financial plan to account for the change.
The project team – consisting of representatives from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) – applied jointly for funding and have outlined terms to move the project to construction.
Spanning eight miles between the Western Hills Viaduct in Ohio and Dixie Highway in Kentucky, the project will address the second-worst truck bottleneck in the nation by improving safety and travel on the interstate connection that carries more than $700 billion worth of freight every year.
“I’m thrilled the time has finally come for us to get the companion bridge built,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday. “Funding and constructing the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is more than the fulfillment of my administration’s promise – it’s a dream fulfilled for the thousands of travelers who pass through the bustling region every day waiting eagerly for traffic relief to come on this nationally significant corridor. It also shows what’s possible when we prioritize people over politics.”
The Brent Spence Bridge was constructed in the 1960s to carry around 80,000 vehicles a day, but the daily traffic load on Interstate Highways 75 and 71 has doubled in recent years. The Federal Highway Administration deemed the bridge as needing a replacement since 1998, determining it was no longer accommodating traffic needs.
The new project would keep local traffic on the existing bridge and the companion bridge would become an express path for highway traffic through the downtown Cincinnati and Covington corridor.
“This is federal dollars, that’s the big domino that had to fall,” Cooper said. “This problem has been front and center for years. I can’t remember a chamber meeting where we didn’t bring up the Brent Spence Bridge. It’s been the topic of conversation for a long time. It impacts us all, small businesses in particular.”
In addition, the project will improve access to the central business districts of Cincinnati and Covington, and will also support local businesses and underserved communities in historic neighborhoods on both sides of the river.
“Today, we are thrilled to hear that federal and state money has been committed to the Brent Spence ‘fix,’ negating the need for tolls,” the City of Covington said in a statement. “And we report with gratitude that Covington continues to have a seat at the table as critical decisions are being made on the size of the project and its impact on the surrounding community.”
McConnell helped secure the funding for Thursday’s grant announcement when he supported last year’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and shepherding the bill through the Senate.
“For decades, inadequate capacity on the aging Brent Spence Bridge has created headaches for drivers traveling between Kentucky and Ohio. Today, we’re taking a major step toward fixing the problem,” McConnell said. “Using my role as Senate Republican Leader, I stood with Sen. Rob Portman to break through gridlock and pass last year’s bipartisan infrastructure deal, delivering record funding for landmark infrastructure projects including today’s grant. Building a new companion bridge on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor will be one of the bill’s crowning accomplishments, bringing long-awaited safety improvements, traffic relief and rejuvenated commerce to Northern Kentucky and Southwestern Ohio.”
Project plans call for the construction of a companion bridge to the west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge, as well as improvements to the current bridge and the roadway network that ties into each river crossing. As a result of engagement with local partners, there will be enhanced pedestrian access across I-75 in Cincinnati to reconnect downtown with western neighborhoods and the City of Cincinnati will regain nearly 10 acres to develop in the downtown area.
In Kentucky, the project will include a new storm sewer system to reduce flooding and improve local roads, including enhanced pedestrian and bicycle facilities, in the area of the existing and new bridge.
In July, Govs. DeWine and Beshear announced revised plans based on community engagement and technical analysis to shrink the project footprint while still delivering a transformative project that meets the needs of the region.
“Nothing great is achieved alone, and I’m proud of all the people who’ve come to the table over the years to ensure that we’ll deliver a project with huge benefits and minimal impacts to the communities that live in and around the project area,” KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said Thursday.