Bridge Forward design could add up to $140M to Brent Spence plan, states say

Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·3 min read
Transportation officials believe the Bridge Forward concept for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project would open up less land for development than Bridge Forward advocates claim.
Transportation officials believe the Bridge Forward concept for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project would open up less land for development than Bridge Forward advocates claim.
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Bridge Forward's ambitions for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project could add up to $140 million in costs and present “numerous technical challenges” to build, Ohio and Kentucky transportation officials said Tuesday.

A coalition of local activists and leaders, Bridge Forward has pushed to sink Interstate 75 and U.S. 50 and expand city streets from the west side of Downtown into Queensgate.

In a public response to Bridge Forward, officials said the group's plan would:

  • Add at least $100 million and as much as $140 million in construction costs to the $3.6 billion Brent Spence project. That's up from an earlier estimate of $65 million to $80 million.

  • Require $1 million more a year to operate and maintain a proposed tunnel for part of U.S. 50.

  • Create safety issues by requiring vehicles to navigate too-steep roadways, too many stoplights and too many pedestrians.

  • Open about 13 acres of developable land on the western edge of Downtown Cincinnati, instead of about 24 acres depicted in the latest Bridge Forward plan.

Mary Landwehr of Edgewood, Kentucky, came with her husband, Phillip, to see the progress on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project at an open house earlier this month in Covington.
Mary Landwehr of Edgewood, Kentucky, came with her husband, Phillip, to see the progress on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project at an open house earlier this month in Covington.

Costs and construction complexities

A “high-level review” from Brent Spence officials, posted to the project’s website on Tuesday, says the Bridge Forward concept “presents numerous technical challenges as well as significant cost implications.”

The Bridge Forward concept could also stretch out the construction schedule, now anticipated to begin early next year and continue to 2030, according to Jack Marchbanks, director of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).

That's because the Bridge Forward plan would require review of a "significant amount of detailed design work," Marchbanks said in a Monday letter provided to The Enquirer.

"If the (design) decision is delayed for any reason, there is a risk that the overall project will be delayed," Marchbanks wrote to Rep. Bill Seitz, a Republican from Green Township who had requested a review of the Bridge Forward plans on July 24.

Cost called 'tremendous return on investment'

Cincinnati accountant Brian Boland launched Bridge Forward in 2020, calling for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor design to allow for more development opportunities near downtown Cincinnati.
Cincinnati accountant Brian Boland launched Bridge Forward in 2020, calling for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor design to allow for more development opportunities near downtown Cincinnati.

Bridge Forward founder Brian Boland and his supporters were undaunted by the response from the Ohio and Kentucky transportation departments. The group's proposal would be a "tremendous return on investment" when the bridge project is done, the group said in a statement.

"We urge (Cincinnati City) Council to step up now and guarantee the funding," the statement said.

Council could tap funds from Issue 7, the 2020 transit tax, as well as county, state and federal dollars to cover the extra cost, said John Cranley, former Cincinnati mayor and part of the Bridge Forward coalition. Council earlier endorsed Bridge Forward's aspirations for development, as did the Hamilton County Commission.

"Spending less than 5 percent of the total project for a historic change is a bargain for our region," Cranley said.

In creating new connections to the west side, the Bridge Forward concept would repair some of the disruption created by construction of I-75 in the 1960s, added Mark Mallory, another former Cincinnati mayor and Bridge Forward supporter.

“We are still dealing with the damage that was done," Mallory said in a statement. "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.”

Phases of I-75 construction
Phases of I-75 construction

Governments invited to 'innovation period'

The Brent Spence team will continue to evaluate the Bridge Forward plan and any other concepts submitted during the project's coming "innovation period" for additional public input. With the July hiring of primary contractors for the bridge work, that period is expected to begin in early September and continue for 60 days, Matt Bruning, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation, said Tuesday.

"Local governments will be engaged during this process," the project site's new posting said.

Seitz challenged Bridge Forward to identify funding for what it wants.

"The burden would now seem to fall on the Bridge Forward people to come up with the extra money and to answer the issues around constructability,” he said Tuesday via email.

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This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What do Ohio and Kentucky think of Bridge Forward?