Editor's note (Dec. 15, 2022) : A previous version of this story said that KYTC officials had already secured federal funding for the project. The story has been corrected to say that officials expect to secure federal funding.
COVINGTON, Ky. — People in northern Kentucky had the chance to give their input on one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the region's history, and one that affects the rest of the country.
People in northern Kentucky had the chance to give their input on one of the biggest infrastructure projects in the region's history, and one that affects the rest of the country.
While the design of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is mostly set in stone, transportation officials from Kentucky and Ohio are gathering feedback on aesthetic elements and how the corridor will affect surrounding communities.
The project aims to improve safety and reduce congestion on I71/75 as they cross the Ohio River over the Brent Spence Bridge.
The bridge, which was built in the 1960s, currently carries close to double the amount of traffic it was originally intended to. According to the city of Covington, about 3% of the country’s gross domestic product crosses the Brent Spence Bridge every year.
Much needed improvements have been talked about for a long time.
“We know this project is desperately needed. We couldn’t continue in the same vein that we were going. So we know there needs to be a better solution. Let’s just find a way not to hurt ourselves in getting to this final project,” said Pat Frew, Executive Director of the Covington Business Council.
Frew attended the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s community engagement event in Covington on Wednesday. KYTC officials explained the latest developments with the project, including funding they expect to secure through the Bipartisan Infrastructure law, and commitments from both Ohio and Kentucky’s governors.
General details of the project include repairs to the existing bridge, which will reduce the number of its lanes to three in each direction, and the construction of a new companion bridge that will include five lanes in each direction.
Local traffic will be diverted to the existing bridge, and through traffic will be diverted to the new bridge. The project also includes the upgrading of about eight miles of I-71/75 from Fort Mitchell to just north of the Western Hills viaduct in Cincinnati.
“When we’re out in the neighborhoods, we’re really hearing feedback on the utilization of noise walls. We hear that noise is a significant concern along the corridor, as well as drainage. So through this project we were able to commit to reducing or eliminating all of our interstate storm water from the Willow run storm system, or the combined sewer system in the Covington area,” said Stacee Hans, Kentucky Project Manager for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project.
Another major concern expressed about a previous version of the project plan was its footprint. Hans said that included 40 residential relocations, but now in Kentucky, the number of residential relocations has been reduced to four, and the number of commercial spaces from six to five.
Frew said his key questions are about how the project will affect other Covington businesses, even if they aren’t affected directly by the footprint.
“I think there are still kind of a lot of unknowns,” he said. “Will we have uninterrupted traffic on the interstate? Because we know what’s happened before with fires on the Brent Spence Bridge, and how that’s affected the business community in Covington alongside the interstate route. So we want to make sure that the bridge remains open. We want to make sure people still understand that we’re here, and that we get some of this traffic, if possible, passing through, to come here and patronize our businesses.”
The current timeline would have construction start in 2023 and run through 2029.