COVINGTON, Ky. — A group of transportation and environmental nonprofits are suing the Brent Spence Corridor Project in Federal Court, claiming the environmental impacts are more than what’s been led on.
Environmentalists are particularly concerned about the impact to non-white communities around the bridge.
Several nonprofits, named collectively as the Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development, have joined together in filing suit, alleging the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project hasn’t properly considered the environmental impact of construction.
Defendants include the U.S. Department of Transportation as well as the heads of the transportation departments in Ohio and Kentucky.
The $3.6 billion project includes a new companion bridge, and the widening of Interstate 75. The coalition is calling for an environmental impact statement.
Previous governmental assessments found no significant environmental impact, meaning the project didn’t have to produce an impact statement.
“A full environmental impact statement is necessary to truly understand a 10-lane, new bridge doubling the highway capacity, the highway widening on both sides. To have a finding of no significant impact with such a massive project made no sense to us logically or scientifically,” said Chris Curran, a professor of biological science and a vice chair of the Sierra Club Miami Group.
The Sierra Club hasn’t joined this suit, but supports a full environmental impact study.
Curran said she believes the project will produce more traffic and thus more pollution both to the air and Ohio River.
“Part of the environmental impact statement is: how can you mitigate the problem? So it’s important to say no one is saying stop the bridge. What they’re saying is we don’t need a bridge of this size,” she said.
She said she believes the funding for the project could be better spent on alternate forms of transportation. The lawsuit claims these environmental impacts particularly hurt the predominantly non-white communities that live near the bridge.
“You’re not giving them a transportation option. You’re polluting their water. You’re polluting their air,” Curran said. “When you have a one-shot deal with only one mode of transportation, that’s not good planning. We know that.”
Spectrum News 1 reached out to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, which provided the following statement in response to the lawsuit:
“A priority of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is to provide an inclusive process that enhances surrounding communities while delivering a project that will bring safer, less congested travel, and job opportunities to the region. We are aware of the filing against federal and state agencies. No further details can be shared at this time due to pending litigation.”
The suit demands all work halt on the project until an environmental impact statement is issued. Construction on the companion bridge is expected to start next year and continue through 2029.