Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced Friday that they had a new, revamped plan to transform the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor.
The new plan would significantly shrink the bridge’s footprint, the governors said. Funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act made the new plan possible, they said. In November of last year, a truck accident damaged the bridge, leading to its closure for several weeks. While the bridge was repaired, both states determined that the bridge, and its corridor, needed improvement through changes to the existing bridge as well as an additional bridge. The bridge carries traffic onI-75 and I-71 from Kentucky into Ohio.
“While this is a nationally significant project, it is still very much a community-minded project,” Beshear said. “Our teams have gone to great lengths to shrink property impacts while still delivering a solid solution to the traffic congestion issues in the region.”
The new plan includes two 14-foot shoulders on each deck of the new bridge and expands shoulder widths on the existing bridge. The new bridge is planned to cover nearly 25 acres and span nearly 150 feet in width, about half the size of a previously planned footprint. The new bridge will carry interstate traffic, while the existing Brent Spence bridge will carry local traffic between Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati.
”It has been important from the beginning to make sure we’re meeting the needs of today and tomorrow while also being mindful about the impacts this project has on surrounding properties,” DeWine said. “I will continue to challenge our teams to look for additional ways to further these goals.”
Both states are near completion in terms of property acquisition, and are in the process of apply for federal grants to help move the project forward officials said.