Ohio and Kentucky will jointly seek $2 billion in federal infrastructure funds to finance a long-stalled upgrade and companion span to the beleaguered Brent Spence Bridge.
The new bridge will not rely on tolls — a sticking point for some lawmakers — and will be structured as a design-build project, officials said during a press conference Monday.
“I want to break ground next year,” Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said as he joined Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in signing a memorandum of understanding that sets the stage for the $2.8 billion bistate venture.
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The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed last year provides $39 billion in bridge funding, including a $12.5 billion competitive grant program that Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown said he wrote with the Brent Spence in mind.
“This project is the poster child for the federal infrastructure act,” said Beshear.
The bridge carries Interstates 75 and 71 across the Ohio River between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky, and is a busy commuting and shipping corridor. More than 160,000 vehicles cross it every day, which is double the number the bridge was designed for when it opened in 1963.
Monday’s announcement is the latest in a series of pledges, from presidents to governors, to upgrade the span. In 2015, the states estimated the price tag at $3.57 billion and envisioned a public-private partnership.
This time is different, DeWine said Monday, because of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“This is the sixth [version] of this [MOU] and it’s the one though that positions us to move forward,” he said. “We have to compete for [the federal funds] but we think we have a very, very strong case,” he said. “This is a bridge of great national significance. It’s going to take some money from the State of Ohio and the State of Kentucky, but we believe we can compete exceedingly well against other projects across the country.”
The current price tag totals $2.8 billion. The cost of the companion bridge will be split evenly between the two states, and each state will pay for the approach work on their side. Ohio is expected to cover $1.48 billion and Kentucky $1.31 billion.
“Kentucky and Ohio are both in a position to cover our ends without any tolls,” Beshear said.
The bridge itself remains structurally sound and won’t be replaced, according to transportation officials. The plan features improvements to the bridge, construction of a companion bridge aimed at easing congestion and bottlenecks and updating the interstate network on either side of the bridge.
The MOU will help ensure the project is shovel-ready by allowing the states to prepare for construction, the governors said. The agreement outlines the roles and responsibilities for procurement, funding, construction and maintenance of the bridge.
The states are still waiting for the U.S. Department Transportation to release guidance on the IIJA bridge grants, the governors said. Assuming guidance is published within the next few months, the states hope to submit their application immediately and a final decision on the funding could come in the fall, Beshear said. A procurement package could be “on the street by fall of 2023,” said an Ohio transportation official during the press conference.