Kentucky and Ohio recently submitted a joint federal funding application through the Bridge Investment Program for the eight-mile Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project.
The project will address the second-worst truck bottleneck in the United States by building a companion bridge to the west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge and improving the current bridge, which will significantly improve safety by separating local and through traffic.
The corridor, which runs between the Western Hills Viaduct in Ohio and Dixie Highway in Kentucky, carries more than $700 billion worth of freight annually.
The project also is expected to improve access to the central business districts in Cincinnati and Covington, Ky.
The states also submitted a funding request through the Multimodal Projects Discretionary Grant Program in May. Both applications total $1.66 billion. The states are applying to multiple grant programs to give themselves the best chance of receiving maximum funding.
While the states await funding, a bi-state project team is performing environmental field work, analyzing potential options for construction using the design/build process, continuing the development of the revised concept for the companion bridge, and updating the financial plan to align with existing funding opportunities and anticipated project needs such as the potential impacts of inflation on the funding plans for each state.