As two of the region’s major infrastructure projects inch closer to the first shovels in the ground, state officials have begun prepping Northern Kentucky residents on what to expect.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Executive Advisor Gary Valentine was in Northern Kentucky on Thursday, announcing key updates to the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. In addition, he said that a design concept for the 4th Street Bridge project will be selected “very soon.”
Valentine made these announcements as a guest speaker at the Covington Business Council’s monthly luncheon at The Grand Ballroom.
Brent Spence Bridge
The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor is one of the largest prospective infrastructure projects in the continental United States. The Brent Spence Bridge carries nearly 3% of the US gross domestic product annually and approximately $1 billion in freight daily, according to Valentine.
“You’re investing over $3 billion in this region, and as I mentioned, the corridor itself is kind of a pinch point,” Valentine told LINK nky. “3% of the (United States) gross domestic product flows through here, so that speaks for itself.”
The project consists of constructing a new companion bridge west of the current Brent Spence Bridge, which will be reoriented to accommodate local traffic.
Looking at the roadways, five miles of Interstate 71/75 from Fort Mitchell to Covington will be widened with multiple exits and interchanges along the path set to be reconfigured.
“The interstate is a part of your community,” Valentine said.
In January, President Joe Biden became the first sitting president to visit Covington since 1938. During the visit, Biden announced $1.6 million worth of federal funding for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
“It really made this project real,” Valentine said when discussing the federal funding.
Over the summer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced that Chicago-based Walsh Construction and Westerville, OH-based Kokosing Construction were selected to lead the project’s design and construction.
A transparent noise wall is set to be constructed alongside Covington’s Crescent Avenue, a road located directly to the west of I-71/75, to help mitigate noise for residents in the area. The barrier will be the first of its kind in Kentucky, Valentine noted.
“Kentucky has never built a transparent noise barrier,” he said.
Companion bridge design finalists
Valentine said two types of bridge designs are being considered for the companion bridge.
The first is a tied-arch, a design similar to the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge, colloquially known as the “Big Mac” bridge, that crosses over the Ohio River from Northern Kentucky into Cincinnati by way of I-471.
The second is a cable-stay bridge, a design similar to the Abraham Lincoln Bridge that crosses over the Ohio River from Louisville into Jeffersonville, IN.
Timeline
Valentine discussed a prospective timeline the transportation cabinet is following into the coming year.
- In February, KYTC will be holding public hearings to field comments and concerns from residents and other affected parties regarding the environmental impact of the project.
- Valentine said he expects the environmental process will be completed at the end of quarter one in 2024.
“April 9 is what we’re targeting now,” Valentine said. “That all depends on the level of comments that we get and have to address because that’s part of the process.”
- Utility relocations and other early work will commence over the summer or fall, Valentine said.
- Construction on the companion bridge is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025.
“Full mobilization won’t occur until 2025,” Valentine said.
- The companion bridge is estimated to be completed by July 2029.
- The overall project is estimated to be completed by the end of 2030, but it has the potential to be pushed back into 2031.
“Right now, we say the completion date is the end of 2030, but I think you’ll see that creep into 2031 with the amount of work that has to take place after the new bridge is open,” Valentine said.
Neighborhood enhancements
- KYTC needs 2.38 elevated acres from Goebel Park to make room for the widening of the interstate.
- Valentine said the transportation cabinet is committed to funding a master plan for renovating Goebel Park, including improving the park’s basketball courts and public swimming pool.
- Improvements will be made for collecting stormwater runoff coming off the interstate, Valentine said. Right now, interstate stormwater runoff is collected by the Willow Run watershed.
- KYTC is funding a $1.2 million facade grant program for Covington’s Lewisburg neighborhood.
- $500,000 has been allocated by KYTC for the creation of a Covington Project Director position that will work with the department — something Mayor Joe Meyer long advocated for.
- Improved multimodal access. Valentine said this includes connecting Goebel Park with Riverfront Commons walking trail.
4th Street Bridge
- A final concept selection is expected by December 2023.
- Four different design concepts will be selected from.
- Construction is expected to start in 2025.
“Newport and Covington both desired an iconic structure,” Valentine said.
