Overview
- The bi‑state groundbreaking, held Friday in Cincinnati with Governors Andy Beshear and Mike DeWine, marked the start of main construction for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor companion span.
- Officials say the new cable‑stayed bridge will carry interstate lanes on two levels while the current Brent Spence shifts to local traffic to ease I‑71/75 bottlenecks across the Ohio River.
- Project leaders put the price at $4.05 billion with an expected opening in 2031, and ODOT says the heaviest construction ramps up next year after years of design and site prep.
- Drivers face long disruptions starting May 20 with multiple I‑71/75 ramp closures in Covington and a half‑mile shutdown of the Riverwalk likely through 2031 to stage materials.
- The region has pursued a fix since the 1990s when the Brent Spence was labeled functionally obsolete, and the effort advanced after federal funding arrived in 2022, with more than one million work hours already invested.