The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday it would be launching a campaign focusing on the need to revitalize the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Northern Kentucky.
A critical connection for both I-75 and I-71, the bridge now carries twice the traffic it was designed for and is a frequent chokepoint for commuters. On Nov. 11, 2020, the bridge was closed down following a collision between two trucks that resulted in a massive fire. The structure was repaired and re-opened on December 22, 2020, under budget and one day ahead of schedule.
The Chamber’s campaign calls on the federal government to develop the funding to fix the corridor by this summer.
“The American people have had to deal with the consequences of infrastructure inaction for far too long. We have spent decades talking about fixing the Brent Spence Bridge.,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “It is time to stop talking and start acting. We are calling on Congress to pass an infrastructure bill by the Fourth of July that can help fix this bridge and fund long-overdue projects throughout the region and across the country.”
The ad campaign will target the Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area and include digital advertising, earned media, editorial, and social media aspects.
“The Brent Spence Bridge is critical not just to Greater Cincinnati, but to our national economy as well. Carrying Interstates 71 and 75 between Ohio and Kentucky, the Bridge is an essential segment of a major freight corridor,” U.S. Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio) said. “We cannot allow that corridor to continue to be bottlenecked by an outdated bridge, far exceeding its daily capacity. In the last transportation bill, we were successful in enacting a grant program for projects of national and regional significance, which should serve as the primary source of federal funding for the replacement of the Brent Spence Bridge. Now, we have to build on that success, reauthorize the grant program, and identify the local funding sources necessary to complete this vitally important project.”