CINCINNATI — A groundbreaking for a new multi-billion-dollar bridge connecting Ohio to Kentucky.
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The Brent Spence Bridge carries I-75 and I-71 over the Ohio River between Ohio and Kentucky.
Right now, it carries twice the traffic volume it was built to handle.
A project that’s been talked about for decades is finally happening.
“Wow, this is a great day for Ohio, a great day for Kentucky, and a great day for this country,” Gov. Mike DeWine
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A funding bill from Congress gave $1.6 billion in federal grants to the project in 2022.
Crews have finally started work, and officials ceremonially moved dirt on Friday.
“What an incredible moment. One we’ve been dreaming about for decades and that many said would never happen,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said.
To start, ODOT and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet will each work on highway improvement projects on one mile on either side of the bridge on this stretch of the I-71 and I-75 corridor.
The main part of the project: a new companion bridge that crews will build right next to the existing Brent Spence Bridge.
The new companion bridge will be for drivers traveling through Greater Cincinnati the existing bridge will carry local traffic.
This $4 billion project is aimed at keeping commercial traffic moving smoothly to support our country’s economy.
“Over a billion dollars worth of (freight) going through here every single day,” DeWine said.
And to soothe the traffic snarls, the current bridge has become so well known for.
“This project is first and foremost helping the people of northern Kentucky and greater Cincinnati by resolving traffic delays and safety issues,” Beshear said.
According to ODOT, $1 billion worth of freight passes through this stretch of highway every day.
We heard this bridge is called “a lifeline for businesses on both sides.”
That includes so many companies in the Miami Valley.
Dave Burrows with the Dayton Development Coalition about what this stretch of highway means for the area.
“This is a major thoroughfare, north-south thoroughfare. It’s huge, huge for the county, but also very, very important to Ohio,” DeWine said.
Burrows said that freight includes stuff from manufacturers in Dayton who have tight scheduling windows to deliver product.
“If they’re not in that window, and there’s a traffic jam because the old Brent Spence Bridge has a lane shut down or it’s bottlenecked, it’s a very large disruption for all the supply chain here and even here,” he said.
The new companion bridge is scheduled to be finished and open in 2031. The highway work on either side of the bridge will be mostly finished in 2033.
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