https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2023/08/30/brent-spence-bridge-forward-100-million.html Kentucky, Ohio officials: Bridge Forward plan would add more than $100 million to Brent Spence project A citizen group's proposal to reduce the footprint of Interstate 75 as it approaches the Brent Spence Bridge and its planned companion bridge would add between $100 million and $140 million to the project's cost, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. ODOT's analysis of the Bridge Forward concept also concludes it would add more than 23 acres of land back to the urban core, add maintenance costs to the city because of a re-established street grid connecting downtown and Queensgate and require the construction of tall overpasses. Bridge Forward pledged to persist in pursuing its vision for a revised project, which includes trenching the approach to the existing bridge and planned companion bridge, so that a Fort Washington Way-style platform can be built over the highway, as well as adding back developable land. The Brent Spence Bridge project, which would add 8 miles of highway widening between the Western Hills Viaduct and Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell, is estimated to cost $3.6 billion, up from $2.8 billion in 2022. Adding $100 million to $140 million to the project would increase the cost by 2.8% to 3.9%. ODOT's response on behalf of the bi-state management team, which includes the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, is based on a June 26 submittal by Bridge Forward and an engineer hired to refine its plans. ODOT's analysis of the plan identified what it calls "geometric issues," stemming from stacking the interchange between U.S. 50 and the interstates and placing U.S. 50 at the bottom in a tunnel. As a result, Seventh and Eighth streets under the new street grid are 50 feet at the west side and 30 feet at the east side above the existing ground, placing them as high as adjoining buildings. It also creates a steep crossing for Seventh Street over Interstate 75 that is 40 feet higher than the existing crossing, resulting in a 9.5% grade coming up from Gest Street and a 6.5% grade coming up from Central Avenue. The new, local, northbound and southbound streets that would allow the footprint to be reduced are 30 feet to 40 feet higher than the existing ground, creating "a potential physical and visual barrier between downtown and the Queensgate neighborhood." ODOT says such elevation differences are not reflected in Bridge Forward's renderings. The concept also will have an effect on about 4 acres south of Second Street near the Cincinnati Bengals practice facility and game day parking. "None of the locations listed above meet the project design criteria set during the performance-based design process and could result in operational and safety issues," according to the memo. "Correcting the geometry at these locations would require creating more distance between the constraint points and/or less elevation change by revising the levels of the various roadway elements. In both cases, that would require a larger footprint and would impact the additional contiguous developable acreage made available in the Bridge Forward concept." ODOT also analyzed how much land would be reclaimed under the concept and concluded it is 23.7 acres, not 30 acres, as Bridge Forward has projected. ODOT's current, overall plan returns nearly 13 acres. Drilling down into what will be the most desirable and developable land west of Central Avenue and east of I-75 between Third and Sixth streets, ODOT has projected it will return 9.5 acres, while Bridge Forward will return about 15 acres. The Bridge Forward concept also "requires traffic to pass through additional signals to access (the) existing downtown area," the memo said. As for coming up with a precise cost estimate, "a detailed analysis would be required," according to the memo. ODOT pledged to share the concept with the contractors hired to design and build the project. Former Cincinnati mayors John Cranley and Mark Mallory signed on to the Bridge Forward proposal, which is spearheaded by accountant Brian Boland. Fischer Homes Chairman Greg Fischer also is a leading supporter. Cranley, who is the group's lobbyist, urged Cincinnati City Council and Hamilton County commissioners to hold a new round of votes making it clear to the states they favor the plan. "I took the report as a clear blueprint how the local community can embrace this vision," Cranley said. "It would be silly to squander an incredible opportunity like this for a 3% cost increase." Cranley suggested several sources could be tapped to cover the additional money needed - the project's contingency fund, the Hamilton County transportation sales tax and potentially asking for additional federal money. President Joe Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have said they want the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which is funding $1.6 billion of the project, to reconnect communities split open by the construction of the interstate highway system. "The original construction of I-75 ripped through the West End and we are still dealing with the damage that was done," Mallory said. "This is a chance to create new opportunities for one of Cincinnati's most historic neighborhoods. Finding the money to pay for it should be a priority." ___________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2023/07/28/kokosing-walsh-construction-brent-spence-bridge.html Westerville-based Kokosing is part of a joint venture that will lead construction of the massive Brent Spence Bridge project connecting Ohio and Kentucky. Leaders from both states, including Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, announced the Westerville-based company and Chicago's Walsh Construction have been selected for the $3.6 billion project. Kokosing and Walsh are two of the largest general contractors in the country. Beshear and DeWine made the announcement Thursday at Drees Pavilion in Devou Park overlooking the bridge site. "I'm excited by the fact that an Ohio-based company is going to play a big role," DeWine said, referring to Kokosing, which is Central Ohio's fourth-largest privately held company. "They have a long history with this build. They were the team that made the emergency repairs. They did that in a record time." Kokosing President John Householder said the two firms have been anticipating this project for many, many years. He pledged to deliver the project on time and on budget. "We are well-suited for this project," Householder said. Gov. Andy Beshearexpand Ky. Gov. Andy Beshear talks during a press conference announcing the contractors for the Brent Spence Bridge companion project. CORRIE SCHAFFELD | CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER The project also will steer some of the work to disadvantaged business entities, with 9% of the design contracts going to them and 7% of construction contracts. Ohio defines DBEs as being "51% owned by one or more individuals who are both socially and economically disadvantaged or, in the case of a corporation, in which 51 percent of the stock is owned by one or more such individuals." and "whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more of the socially and economically disadvantaged individuals who own it." Such groups include "Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans, Asian-Pacific Americans, Subcontinent Asian Americans, and women. Other may be eligible on a case-by-case basis," according to the state. "This project is going to change lives," said ODOT director Jack Marchbanks. Engineering firms Aecom, Jacobs and Parsons will also work on the project. The Brent Spence Bridge project includes 8 miles of highway widening between the Western Hills Viaduct in Cincinnati and Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell. President Joe Biden announced a $1.6 billion grant for the project in January. There is roughly 3 miles of highway expansion in Cincinnati and 5 miles in Northern Kentucky. The 50-year-old bridge carries up to 160,000 vehicles per day. It was built for 80,000 vehicles but originally there were only three lanes on each deck. The states eliminated the emergency lanes to increase capacity, so now there are four lanes in each direction. The route is the second-most congested in the nation for trucking routes. About 3% of the nation's gross domestic product passes through the corridor. _______________ \https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2023/02/21/brent-spence-bridge-search-design-builder-rfp.html Ohio and Kentucky are looking for a firm to design and construct the bulk of the largest infrastructure project in the Greater Cincinnati region. The states put out a request for proposals Friday for the Brent Spence Bridge project, an estimated $3.6 billion undertaking that will expand an important national transportation corridor. About 3% of the national gross domestic product travels through the Brent Spence Bridge corridor annually, and it's the second-most congested trucking route in the country. The RFP, released by the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), is for construction and design services on the project, including improvements to the Brent Spence Bridge and the construction of a companion bridge to its west. The RFP is specifically for 6 miles of the entire Brent Spence Bridge Corridor. The 6 miles include 5 miles of the Interstates 71 and 75 corridor in Kentucky and 1 mile of I-75 in Ohio, according to a news release from KYTC. The remaining two northernmost sections of the corridor in Ohio will be done under separate contracts. The estimated cost for the project under the RFP is $3.1 billion. "Just a month ago, we celebrated a historic $1.635 billion in federal grant funding to build the new bridge crossing over the Ohio River and improve the entire Brent Spence Bridge Corridor with no tolls," Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said in a release. "This is a huge step that gets us one step closer to fulfilling the dreams of thousands of travelers by providing traffic relief, increased safety and a boost to our nation's commerce." The design for the new companion bridge will be proposed by the firms and approved by ODOT, according to the RFP. However, the bridge type must be either an arch bridge or cable-stayed bridge. ODOT and KYTC will be using a delivery method known as "progressive design-build" in the project, according to a release. A progressive design-build process awards a project to a firm based on qualifications, the best overall approach and value - not to the lowest bidder. The process also gives the design-build team the opportunity to collaborate with the bi-state project team and local stakeholders early on so potential risks can best be assessed and mitigated. It also helps the bidder and project team avoid cost overruns because the design-build team will know more about the project's design and risks before a price is negotiated, according to a release. "The progressive design-build process is the right delivery approach based on the complexity of this project," KYTC Secretary Jim Gray said in a release. "Working in collaboration with the contractor during the design process will bring more innovative design ideas to the table and improve the project overall." RECOMMENDED FOOD & LIFESTYLE Upscale restaurant Court Street Kitchen opening in downtown Cincinnati MANUFACTURING Gun maker moving factory, 180 jobs to northern end of metro RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE Boston Red Sox legend Big Papi lists Miami mansion for $13M The primary goals for the project include improving traffic flow and level of service; improving safety; correcting geometric deficiencies; and maintaining connections to key regional and national transportation corridors, according to the RFP. The new bridge will be a double-deck bridge and carry interstate traffic. The existing bridge will be reduced to three lanes on each of its decks, and it will carry local travelers. The Brent Spence Bridge, which was completed in 1963, remains structurally sound, but is considered "functionally obsolete" because of the congestion and lack of emergency lanes. The schedule in the RFP calls for the design-build team to be selected in May. Planning will then take place "immediately," and initial construction work to begin before the end of 2023. The substantial completion goal is 2029. Responses to the RFP are due by 1 p.m. March 31. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/louisville/news/2022/12/29/brent-spence-bridge-project-federal-funds.html Dec 29, 2022 The sign on the former Ainsworth building at 3929 Shelbyville Road advertises "BHG University," but it is not a new institution of higher learning in St. Matthews. The more than 6,000-square-foot building is now a centralized training center for the Bluegrass Hospitality Group (BHG), a Lexington, Kentucky-based restaurant company.BHG was co-founded by Brian McCarty and Bruce Drake in 1998. The restaurant group operates six brands: Malone's, Malone's Prime Events & Receptions, Harry's, Drake's, Aqua Sushi and OBC Kitchen. Virgil M. Covington III, BHG's director of training and hospitality, said having a one-stop shop for orientation and advanced training allows BHG to maintain quality-of-service across restaurants and brands. "The main idea behind BHGU was to make the training more efficient and consistent for our stores," Covington explained. "It is far easier to schedule trainings in BHGU than in potentially busy restaurants, where we never know what an afternoon time slot is going to look like. BHGU also keeps an inventory of uniforms for new hires, where there is a lot more space to store those items than in the restaurants."Covington said the first BHG University was launched 11 years ago in Lexington under the direction of Allyson Wellman, the restaurant group's former director of training. BHG has three Malone's locations, a private dining facility attached to an OBC Kitchen and two Drake's locations in Lexington. There is also a Drake's restaurant in nearby Nicholasville, Kentucky. The BHG University in Louisville was originally at 4121 Shelbyville Road, but Covington said the facility moved to the current space in late November. It is located next to the Drake's at 3939 Shelbyville Road. RECOMMENDED GOVERNMENT & REGULATIONS St. Louis mayor signs 'guaranteed income' bill into law Wednesday COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE Construction starts on $115M NuLu-area development with new Hilton-flag hotel RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE These were Greater Cincinnati's most expensive home sales of 2022: PHOTOS BHG has two other Drake's locations in Louisville at 2651 Hurstbourne Parkway and 3921 Summit Plaza Drive in the Paddock Shops. There is also a Malone's location in the Paddock Shop at 4370 Summit Plaza Drive. "In Lexington, we train all the Malone's brands. We do orientations for all of our stores [at the BHG University]," Covington said. "In Louisville, it's kind of flipped a little bit. We're very Drake's-heavy on the training because we have those three Drake stores in Louisville. And then we also do we supplement the Malone's training as well. So, most of the below training happens at that Shelbyville [Road] space."BHG University is located in a property is owned by the Breeland Development Corp., according to Jefferson County Public Valuation Administrator's records. The Ainsworth occupied the building from November 2020 to December 2021. Prior to the Ainsworth, it was home to Sullivan's Tap House and the Bluegrass Brewing Co. Covington said moving the training to a former restaurant space has its advantages. "We haven't quite moved any any liquor or anything in, but now we can do bar classes because we have a bar where we can do that. We couldn't do that in our old space," Covington said. He said BHG has nearly 600 employees in Louisville. Both new workers and newly promoted team members receive training at BHG University. And the classes are available online for employees that would like continuing education. _________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/11/10/city-odot-propose-adding-10-acres-to-cbd.html Cincinnati and the Ohio Department of Transportation plan to add 10 acres of land to downtown west of Central Avenue as a part of the Brent Spence Bridge project, property that will be controlled by the city and allow it to add new development. The revision comes after months of discussion between the city and ODOT about the project and the city's desire to reclaim land taken when Interstate 75 was originally built in the 1960s. The plan "capitalizes on a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reclaim land, improve green space and connectivity, and help write the wrongs of the infrastructure decisions of the last century," Mayor Aftab Pureval said. "This improvement is enormous for Cincinnati." Pureval estimated there's an additional $20 million in land value that can be created. But the proposed revisions fall short of the 30 acres land the Bridge Forward group believes can be created by a more extensive overhaul of the $2.8 billion plan. That group's leader, accountant Brian Boland, believes the land ODOT is proposing to add back is not much more than a 2013 proposal. ODOT declined to specify how many acres were in the 2013 image when the Business Courier asked earlier this year. On Thursday, ODOT's lead engineer on the Brent Spence Bridge, Stefan Spinoza, said a previous plan proposed adding back in the ballpark of 3 or 4 acres. "Any step is a good step. We would like to see more," Boland said. Bridge Forward plans to push for a bigger vision at upcoming public comment periods. Its proposal calls for capping part of the freeway where it already descends below street grade. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/09/16/brent-spence-bridge-project-top-boondoggle-group.html A public interest group often critical of certain big-ticket transportation projects has named the Brent Spence Bridge project as one of the nation's worst highway boondoggles for the first time. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group's (PIRG) education fund named the $2.8 billion project, which includes 8 miles of highway expansion on the Ohio and Kentucky sides of the Ohio River in addition to a new companion bridge, as one of the seven-worst highway projects in the country. U.S. PIRG is often critical of highway expansion projects, citing their expense, environmental and global warming impacts due to additional vehicles on the road and the likely outcome that they will not meet one of their intended goals: Reducing congestion. In the transportation industry there's a concept known as "induced demand": When a roadway is expanded without tolling, people flock to use it almost immediately, quickly erasing any reductions in congestion. "The plan to add more capacity has no transit component. You're going to have crushing traffic all over again. You're not moving people efficiently," said Matt Casale, a co-author of U.S. PIRG's report. The Ohio Department of Transportation, which is building the bridge project in conjunction with Kentucky, rejected the characterization, saying the project is aimed at moving people and goods safely, reliably and efficiently. It noted that buses use the same congested corridor as drivers and freight truckers. "Public transit through this corridor faces the same chronic congestion caused by the capacity issue that affects freight and other travel," said ODOT spokeswoman Kathleen Fuller. "The Brent Spence corridor project will allow regional public transit agencies to provide more efficient and reliable travel for their users and consider future expansion of service." The Brent Spence Bridge carries about 160,000 vehicles per day, double the intended amount, although the states removed emergency lanes to expand the bridge and its capacity for vehicles to four lanes in each direction. Because of the traffic counts, the bridge is considered "functionally obsolete" but will be structurally sound for decades to come. Local and state transportation officials and stakeholders say the corridor needs to be expanded to handle the traffic that goes through it today and will go through it in the future. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron is a major jobs hub for the region, and employment is expected to continue to grow with the expansion of the Amazon.com and DHL North American superhubs and associated businesses that want to be nearby. Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of the region's population lives on the Ohio side of the river, so to have easier access to those jobs, there needs to be better transportation links. But instead of a massive highway project, the region should expand its transit system, Casale said. Money coming to the states through the federal infrastructure bill has some flexibility where some cash that could be used for highway projects could instead be used to expand transit. "Try to find the right formula that works for the region," he said. "There is no argument that work doesn't need to be done. They can flex a decent amount of highway money that will help with transit, walking and biking projects." _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/revised-designs-for-brent-spence-makes-companion-bridge-highway-traffic-only-local-traffic-on-existing-bridge - Newly revised designs for the future of the Brent Spence Bridge and its planned companion bridge were released Friday by Governors Mike DeWine and Andy Beshear. With the addition of the companion bridge, designs show an intent to revamp the Brent Spence Bridge itself to expand shoulder widths. Currently, the Brent Spence Bridge features four 11-foot lanes on both levels, with only one foot on one each side reserved for the shoulder. New plans show the Brent Spence Bridge would be reduced to three lanes on both decks with wider emergency shoulders. The plans also indicate the Brent Spence Bridge would be only local traffic, with all thru highway traffic diverted to the new companion bridge. The companion bridge's footprint is greatly reduced from plans created in 2012, which would have given it four separate corridors, all with different destinations intended. Under that model, the companion bridge would have had 14-foot shoulders on either side. The 2012 model also would have had both highway and local traffic traveling both bridges, something the new model eliminates. The 2022 model still successfully reduces congestion and improves safety for both bridges, but with the added result of having fewer property impacts overall, according to a press release from Beshear and DeWine. "We felt good about where we were a decade ago because that solution provided additional capacity that reduces congestion and improves travel throughout the corridor," said Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation. "We feel even better about this revision because it dramatically reduces the footprint of the new bridge and completely separates interstate and local traffic." In February, Governors Mike DeWine and Andy Beshear signed a memorandum of understanding seeking to secure federal funding from the infrastructure bill that would go toward fixing major traffic issues at the Brent Spence Bridge. They jointly submitted an application requesting nearly $2 billion in funding in May, but those funds have not yet been approved. The governors announced in February the new companion bridge will be toll-free, which had been a point of debate for how a new bridge could be funded and operated. In February, Marchbanks said if funding could be approved by the end of 2022 he believed a design procurement package could be ready by the fall of 2023. Marchbanks said then that a conservative estimation for completion of the project would be five years. The possible reality of funding to solve the Brent Spence Bridge's traffic debacles has been just out of reach for drivers in the Tri-State for years and time has become a crucial component. Opened 59 years ago, the bridge has long been considered functionally obsolete, carrying about 180,000 vehicles a day, which is more traffic than it was built to handle. The bridge has officially needed a replacement since at least 1998, when the Federal Highway Administration determined it was no longer accommodating traffic needs. DeWine himself declared that solving the Brent Spence problem would be a high priority after he was inaugurated as governor in 2019 while standing with then-Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin. Talks of replacing the bridge stalled with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, however. Later in 2020, those talks reignited once more after the bridge itself, well, ignited. A fiery crash involving two semi tractor trailers set the bridge ablaze in a chemical fire that burned for hours and closed the Brent Spence Bridge for months. Then came 2021, the bridge's ranking as the nation's second-worst traffic bottleneck, and the promise of an infrastructure bill. In January, President Joe Biden announced the creation of the Bridge Formula Program, which allocates $39 billion to states to fix bridges nationwide. From that, Ohio is expected to receive $483.3 million over five years, with over $100 million of that set to be available this year. Kentucky would also receive $438 million total, with roughly $87.7 million available this year. That fund is different from grant funding available through the infrastructure bill, which means more dollars could be available to Ohio and Kentucky through grant applications. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.wlwt.com/article/odot-cincinnati-federal-dollars-can-kickstart-major-projects/40436302# - The Ohio Department of Transportation and the city of Cincinnati are hoping federal funding will be the financial boost needed to help kickstart two major construction projects, the Western Hills Viaduct and the Brent Spence Bridge. ODOT recently submitted a funding application to the Federal Highway Administration, under the recent infrastructure bill passed by congress. "We're really excited for this opportunity," ODOT District 8 planning engineer Tom Arnold said. "It's a new program that wasn't available in previous years. So, that's why we feel this is definitely a ripe opportunity for the project to move forward." ODOT is requesting nearly $1.6 billion from the program. Ohio and Kentucky would provide matching funds to fix the Brent Spence, and construct a two-level companion bridge alongside it. The Western Hills Viaduct is also moving forward. The city recently submitted a grant to the federal government for $200 million dollars to help cover the cost of the viaduct. Meanwhile, the city is moving forward with design and working with Duke Energy on utility relocation. "That is a very large undertaking in itself," principal structural engineer, Bill Shefcik said. "It's a $12.5 million relocation cost for the transition line alone, so we've been working closely with Duke." The city projects the new viaduct will be open by the end of 2028, with a completed project by 2030. During Monday's meeting, the conversation turned to the pain at the pump and to the recent conversation about the potential to suspend Ohio's gas tax. Something Ohio Majority Leader Bill Seitz called a "temporary gimmick." "It would imperil very important streams of funding that are needed for projects such as the Brent Spence Bridge, the Western Hills Viaduct, the other projects you heard about at today's meeting," Seitz said. Right now, the federal gas tax is 18 cents, and Ohio's is 38.5 cents. For the Brent Spence Bridge project, if all goes well with the federal grant money, ODOT expects to start construction spring of 2024. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/06/10/portman-brent-spence-funding.html Ohio and Kentucky will apply for $1.3 billion more in funding for the $2.8 billion Brent Spence Bridge project, officials announced Friday. The latest pot of money to become available is $12.5 billion from the Bridge Investment Act, which was created by U.S. Sens. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, and Sherrod Brown, D-Cleveland, and put in the federal infrastructure bill. That money will be distributed over the next five years, with $2.43 billion being available this year. The Brent Spence Bridge project could get about $1.3 billion of it, Portman said. Portman expects a decision by this fall on funding for the project. The application is due Aug. 9. The states have already requested $1.67 billion in funding from Multimodel Projects Discretionary Grant, another pot of money within the federal infrastructure bill. Ohio and Kentucky's transportation directors hailed the funding availability. "This is Gov. (Mike) DeWine's most important infrastructure project," said Ohio Department of Transportation director Jack Marchbanks. The states expect to award contracts for the project in fall of 2023, with construction start in 2024. The project is estimated to take five years. "The rest of this decade will be all about the Brent Spence Bridge," Marchbanks said. Each state will also provide matching money. Kentucky's budget already has enough money to meet state matching requirements for the project. Ohio anticipates using its gas tax revenue and to borrow money to come up with its share. The Brent Spence Bridge project includes a new bridge to the west of the existing bridge and 8 miles of highway widening on both sides of the Ohio River. The two states have been acquiring and preparing property along the route for years, coordinating with utility companies and applying for funding. __________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/05/06/brent-spence-alternative-plan.html A proposal to rethink a major portion of the $2.7 billion Brent Spence Bridge project started out as Brian Boland's master's thesis in Xavier University's urban sustainability program. As Boland went through the program, he began thinking about the bridge project, the unwieldy configuration of approach lanes and the successful, 25-year-old Fort Washington Way project, which reclaimed urban land for people instead of cars. Why couldn't that idea be repeated As he developed the concept, Boland reached out about a year ago to former Cincinnati City Manager Gerald Newfarmer. "Brian," Boland recalls Newfarmer telling him, "this isn't your thesis. You need to turn this into a proposal." Since that conversation, Boland and the region's largest architecture firm, GBBN, have done just that, crafting a Fort Washington Way-style consolidation of lanes as the highway approaches the bridge. Their group, Bridge Forward Cincinnati, says it would reclaim nearly 30 acres of land consumed by Interstate 75 to be used for redevelopment. It would open up the possibility of having enough room for an expanded Duke Energy Convention Center, a park and a new arena. Regardless of what decision makers eventually would do with the land, which the group dubs Westway, it could be a vast canvas to fulfill the region's development dreams as well as restore some of the West End lost when I-75's construction barreled through, destroying homes and displacing thousands of mostly Black residents. The proposal does not interfere with Ohio and Kentucky's plan for the new bridge that will be constructed alongside the existing Brent Spence Bridge. "This plan delivers more economic development," said Boland, a controller by trade. "We can use this transportation project to achieve a lot of goals. Twenty-five thousand people got moved out for the construction of the highway. We can bring back thousands of people." However, the Ohio Department of Transportation and a top regional transportation official believe the concept would set the project back years, requiring a costly reexamination of the approved environmental permit and potentially snatch defeat from the jaws of victory as the feds appear ready to cut a check. "It would require the environmental process to start over," said Stefan Spinosa, capital programs administrator for ODOT's District 8 office in Cincinnati, who has worked on the Brent Spence project for two decades. "We believe it is highly unlikely the project would receive any construction funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law." RECOMMENDED TRANSPORTATION Durham woman settles with Frontier Airlines in $55M 'vomit' lawsuit GOVERNMENT & REGULATIONS GUEST COMMENT: Legislature delivers for Kentucky businesses in 2022 session FOOD & LIFESTYLE Tom Douglas' first Eastside restaurant nears opening date The region can't wait any longer, said Mark Policinski, the CEO of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments, which vets and awards federal funding for transportation projects in the region. "This thing is ready to go. We're talking about waiting another 10 years to do anything. It's extraordinarily costly." Boland and Bridge Forward backers in conversation with non-ODOT engineers believe the vision can be achieved as the project is designed. Between 25% and 30% of the engineering plans are complete. The environmental permit, called a Finding of No Significant Impact under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), could simply be amended, the group says. "We're not going to have another bridge for 60 to 80 years," said Steve Kenat, a GBBN principal and director of community development. "GBBN believes strongly that the future of our city lies in unlocking the potential for downtown to be able to grow. We can do this better." Today, I-75 west of downtown and north of the bridge is a sprawling, spaghetti-like nest of roadways connecting the Central Business District and U.S. 50 to the highway and Northern Kentucky via the Brent Spence Bridge. But there are multiple grassy medians between the asphalt, and Bridge Forward Cincinnati proposes consolidating those roads, which already lie geographically below the rest of downtown, to create 30 acres of land, which includes a potential cap over part of the freeway. ODOT has already planned to return some space occupied by the highway to downtown (see rendering, page 5), but declined to estimate how much. Bridge Forward believes more can be done. The group's proposal would change how motorists reach downtown. For example, if someone is driving south on Interstate 75 and wanted to go to Fountain Square, they would get off near Linn Street, where a collector street running parallel to the highway would run south. They'd take that until Fifth Street, where they'd turn left. Bridge Forward argues that collector streets would provide even more access to the highway than exists today and allow the city to restore the street grid to the West End on Fourth and Fifth streets. "We've tried to make clear that we're not reducing access points. We're trying to improve the ones that exist," Kenat said. "They take up less real estate and make the environment more safe." ODOT has many concerns, but the most serious involves the NEPA process. It took seven years to complete the preliminary engineering, Spinosa said. If it takes that long again, the five-year infrastructure law's funding would expire, he said. During the bridge project's planning, the city of Cincinnati wanted the connections to downtown -- exits to Seventh, Fifth and Second streets and Fort Washington Way -- maintained. ODOT did consider a "superstreet" road or "superstreet" to funnel downtown traffic to the interstate in one of its recent examinations. ODOT ruled it out because of traffic volume issues and having traffic lights on a freeway ramp system. ODOT has similar concerns with Bridge Forward Ohio's collector road concept. "We do not believe that the traffic volumes that will pass through those areas can be accommodated," Spinosa said. ODOT plans to continue to work with stakeholders to minimize the project footprint, Spinosa said. "As we move into the final design and construction, we believe there are some additional opportunities to further accomplish this goal," Spinosa said. Chas Wiederhold, one of GBBN's project designers working on the Bridge Forward concept, sees an opportunity to right what many now consider to be a wrong decision from the late 1950s. Before I-75 was built in the 1960s, the Kenyon-Barr section of the West End, which was adjacent to downtown and home to an overwhelmingly African American populace, was razed. Deeming it a slum, the city demolished 2,000 properties, displacing nearly 26,000 people, 5% of the city's population. But photos taken (by the city) at the time show a vibrant neighborhood filled with storefronts, rowhouses, businesses -- and people. "My soul departed my body," Wiederhold said, describing the first time he read about the neighborhood. "There used to be an entire neighborhood there just as dense as Over-the-Rhine. This is a once-in-a-century chance to make the same kind of impact." John Schneider has heard it all before. As a Downtown Cincinnati Inc. board member, in the late 1990s, he brought forward the idea of narrowing Fort Washington Way and reconnecting downtown to the riverfront. "They hated it," Schneider said of ODOT and Hamilton County transportation officials. A Procter & Gamble official told Schneider at a party that someone in a senior position with the county wanted him ejected from DCI, he said. Today's NEPA argumet is similar, Schneider said. Those who backed his plan 25 years ago overcame it with a "categorical exclusion." Because the project was contained in the same footprint, planners got an exemption from redoing the environmental permit process, and it was simply amended. The Bridge Forward Cincinnati plan is similarly confined to the land that the highway takes up today. "That ought to be questioned," Schneider said of assertions about an environmental work do-over. Schneider claims he didn't have any political support at first either, until he found two champions -- then-Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber CEO John Williams and then-City Manager John Shirey, an engineer by trade. Shirey ordered the city's transportation department to work with Schneider. "I think they have a much harder road to hoe than I did," Schneider said of Bridge Forward Cincinnati. "Everybody thought Fort Washington Way was terrible. I don't know people feel that way about the western access to downtown." He also concedes that it would have been better if the proposal had come to light two years ago. John Deatrick, the retired former Cincinnati transportation director and streetcar project manager who worked with Schneider on the $314 million Fort Washington Way project, urged a deeper examination of Bridge Forward's concept. One potential serious issue is the connection from U.S. 50 to Interstate 75 from the west, he said. Today, it connects close to Sixth Street. ODOT and federal highway officials are also going to want better geometry on the ramps to and from the highway, meaning, "you need to go around them faster," Deatrick said. "It's a very intriguing idea to be able to cover up that mess," Deatrick said. "I think there needs to be a serious look." But Deatrick cautioned that one major difference between Fort Washington Way and this Brent Spence project is that the city ran the previous project and local government funding helped pay for it. That's not the case with the Brent Spence Bridge project. In an effort to find a champion, Bridge Forward has courted top leaders for months, meeting with Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus, most City Council members and Mayor Aftab Pureval, who has said the bridge project is a top priority of his administration. It also says it has met with business leaders, including Dinsmore & Shohl managing partner George Vincent, Cincinnati Reds COO Phil Castellini, FC Cincinnati co-CEO Jeff Berding and Northern Kentucky officials. But getting top-level champions has been elusive so far. "People don't feel like they have the cover to jump on the idea," Boland said. In April, Cincinnati City Council did approve a resolution backing Ohio and Kentucky's application for federal money for the bridge project. Council noted that the northern approach uses up a lot of valuable downtown real estate and said the project should maximize economic benefits to the region. It also noted that there is value in "capturing developable urban real estate to the extent possible within the bridge design-build process." Council pledged to work with ODOT to achieve the goal within the "existing preferred alternative, project timeline and budget." Councilman Mark Jeffreys said the city wants the states to get the federal money and doesn't want to undermine the application. But he also agrees with Bridge Forward's guiding principles. "I think they were aligned to that approach," Jeffreys said of Bridge Forward and council's actions. "If this thing wasn't being worked on for the last few decades, we would love tunnels and other things that wouldn't make an impact on the riverfront." But Jeffreys added that as the project is designed, "there are still areas to poke and prod after we get the funding. That land down there is at least $900,000 per acre. There is real value there to the city." Supporters need to make the case that the current ODOT plan is a decade old and the city has rebounded since then, Schneider said. He added that the national thinking about highways and cities has also changed. Proposals minimizing highway impacts on urban environments are a federal priority under President Joe Biden. "This is kind of the Cincinnati story. It's natural that we resist new ideas," Schneider said. "The citizens of Cincinnati ought to be very interested in this. It will directly increase the tax base of the city. It really opens up the western edge of Cincinnati to development," he explained. "I've seen this movie before. Change comes slowly here, and then it comes all at once." ______________________________ https://www.enr.com/articles/53798-best-highway-bridge-brent-spence-bridge-fire-rehabilitation The Brent Spence Bridge carries interstates 71 and 75 across the Ohio River between Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Ky. Before the pandemic, daily traffic averaged more than 163,000 crossings per pay, but that traffic came to an abrupt halt on the morning of Nov. 11, 2020, when a crash involving two trucks sparked a fire that shut down the bridge and left officials unsure when it would be safe to open again. Kentucky Transportation Cabinet began procuring steel for repairs to the two-deck cantilevered truss bridge the same day, even before a contractor was selected, which helped expedite the repairs. They brought in engineers from Michael Baker International's Louisville office, and inspectors were able to begin working on the bridge the next morning, using rope access techniques, lifts and drones to identify the heat-affected zone and ensure the structure's stability during the project. Contracts for the repairs were ready within five days. _________________________ https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2022-02-28/beshear-deine-2-billion-brent-spence-companion-bridge - Kentucky and Ohio governors Andy Beshear and Mike DeWine are asking for up to $2 billion in federal funding for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. DeWine said most of that money would fund a companion bridge that gives drivers a travel route other than the Brent Spence Bridge. "I think we all understand the national significance of this bridge," DeWine said. "The steps that we are taking today, the documents that we will be signing, we believe will position us in a perfect position to get the money that we need and to start construction on this bridge." The money is part of the bipartisan federal infrastructure bill, which allocates $39 billion for bridge projects throughout the country. Both states agreed in a memorandum of understanding to contribute matching funding requirements, though more details won't be known until the U.S. Department of Transportation releases application guidelines. Plans for the new bridge don't include tolls, making it the first time a viable plan for building a companion span doesn't include them. The total cost of the companion bridge is expected to be about $2.8 billion, but both governors say they're committed to working together to find the additional money needed for the project. "Building a companion to the Brent Spence Bridge will boost safety and ease a traffic bottleneck that increasingly impacts our communities as well as this entire country," Beshear said. "As so many goods flow across this essential commercial corridor, the need could not be greater. Today, the Brent Spence carries twice the vehicles each day it was designed to accommodate. The traffic delays and safety issues that this causes are felt profoundly by the people here in Northern Kentucky, and across the river in Cincinnati." More than 163,000 vehicles travel across the bridge every day, according to a 2019 study by the Kentucky Transportation Department. The bridge was shut down for more than a month after a fiery crash involving two semi trucks forced the bridge to close in November 2020. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.wvxu.org/local-news/2022-02-28/beshear-deine-2-billion-brent-spence-companion-bridge - Kentucky and Ohio governors Andy Beshear and Mike DeWine are asking for up to $2 billion in federal funding for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project. DeWine said most of that money would fund a companion bridge that gives drivers a travel route other than the Brent Spence Bridge. "I think we all understand the national significance of this bridge," DeWine said. "The steps that we are taking today, the documents that we will be signing, we believe will position us in a perfect position to get the money that we need and to start construction on this bridge." The money is part of the bipartisan federal infrastructure bill, which allocates $39 billion for bridge projects throughout the country. Both states agreed in a memorandum of understanding to contribute matching funding requirements, though more details won't be known until the U.S. Department of Transportation releases application guidelines. Plans for the new bridge don't include tolls, making it the first time a viable plan for building a companion span doesn't include them. The total cost of the companion bridge is expected to be about $2.8 billion, but both governors say they're committed to working together to find the additional money needed for the project. "Building a companion to the Brent Spence Bridge will boost safety and ease a traffic bottleneck that increasingly impacts our communities as well as this entire country," Beshear said. "As so many goods flow across this essential commercial corridor, the need could not be greater. Today, the Brent Spence carries twice the vehicles each day it was designed to accommodate. The traffic delays and safety issues that this causes are felt profoundly by the people here in Northern Kentucky, and across the river in Cincinnati." More than 163,000 vehicles travel across the bridge every day, according to a 2019 study by the Kentucky Transportation Department. The bridge was shut down for more than a month after a fiery crash involving two semi trucks forced the bridge to close in November 2020. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/02/28/ohio-kentucky-governors-sign-brent-spence-agreemen.html As he signed a key agreement with the state of Ohio, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said there would be no tolls on the Brent Spence Bridge project. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Beshear signed a memorandum of understanding Monday pledging to work together to secure federal money to build the $2.8 billion Brent Spence Bridge project at a news conference at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. Beshear's statement was the first time he had definitively said there would not be tolls on the project. "We're going to be able to secure a sizable federal grant under the infrastructure" bill, Beshear said when asked why. Beshear said the states will ask for $2 billion. DeWine noted that Kentucky and Ohio will have to provide a local match, money that can come from state transportation budgets. "Money is available. We know we have a very, very strong case," DeWine said. "This is a bridge of great national significance. It's going to take some money from the state of Ohio. It's going to take some money from the state of Kentucky." U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Terrace Park, has previously said he did not think tolls would be necessary. Officials are awaiting details on the application process, so it's unclear how quickly the states will know that they have received. Once construction starts, the project will take five years. "I want us to be able to break ground next year," Beshear said. The documents being signed should put Ohio and Kentucky in "a perfect position to get the money we need and start construction," DeWine said. "This is a happy day," DeWine . "We believe this is one significant step forward. I don't have to tell anyone in this room the importance of the bridge. I think we all understand the national significance." Beshear said the agreement is "the next necessary step toward creating something that is essential for all of our futures." DeWine and Beshear hope to secure enough money from the newly passed federal infrastructure package $1.2 trillion bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to cover a large portion of the project. "We believe there is no bridge in this country that is as necessary and needing of a change," DeWine said. The Brent Spence Bridge project includes work on the current bridge, a second span alongside it as well as a combined eight miles of highway widening on both sides of the river from the Western Hills Viaduct to Dixie Highway. The new bridge itself is less than half the cost of the total project. The nearly 60-year-old existing bridge will remain and be rehabilitated. Estimates have varied, but it carries about 160,000 vehicles per day. It was designed to have three lanes and carry 80,000 vehicles per day. The shoulders were eliminated to add a lane in each direction and allow the increased traffic volume. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Officials in Kentucky received the state's first allocation of $88 million for 2022, which is only part of the state's $438 million total. Plans have been announced for the Brent Spence Bridge in the city of Frankfort. The project will include construction of an entirely new bridge, and $130 million in state grants is also available for the project.