Construction is officially underway on the long-awaited Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project connecting Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear joined state, local, and federal officials Friday to mark the launch of the project, which includes construction of a new cable-stayed companion bridge alongside the existing Brent Spence Bridge over the Ohio River. The current bridge, opened in 1963, is considered one of the nation’s worst trucking bottlenecks and carries far more traffic than originally intended. “Today, after decades of planning and preparation, we are finally breaking ground on a solution to the traffic headaches and interstate commerce delays caused by the overcrowded Brent Spence Bridge,” DeWine said. The $4.05 billion project will include new approaches to the companion bridge and major improvements to interstate connections in both Ohio and Kentucky. More than 30 overpasses and underpasses in Ohio and about a dozen in Kentucky will also be rebuilt or upgraded. Officials say more than $1 billion in freight moves through the I-71/I-75 corridor every day. The project will also restore emergency shoulders to the existing Brent Spence Bridge, redesign ramps, and add pedestrian and bicycle paths. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear called the groundbreaking a “major step forward” for both states and the nation. Federal officials say the project received $1.63 billion in federal grants, among the largest transportation grants awarded in U.S. history. Construction is expected to create more than 700 jobs, with that number potentially reaching 1,000 workers during peak construction. The new companion bridge is expected to open in 2031, with major approach work completed by 2033.

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(Photo Courtesy Governor Mike DeWine.