More than a decade has passed since the original design for the companion bridge — meant to ease traffic flow on the nearly 60-year-old Brent Spence — was created. Now the project appears to be moving into high gear with the unveiling of a federal funding agreement that will enable it to move forward without tolls.
Gov. Andy Beshear described the news as a game-changer.
"It's going to change countless numbers of lives. When you look at a project this big, it's transformative for a region, for business, and also for the people directly involved."Gov. Andy Beshear
Yet even with the sizable infusion of dollars from Washington, drivers who make the trek back and forth between Covington and Cincinnati still have a long wait ahead of them. Construction is set to begin in late 2023, with a goal of having most of the project completed by 2029.
But Beshear says the wait will pay off — as the second bridge will provide a more efficient drive and the infrastructure to support the "booming economy" in that part of the state.
"There are going to be disruptions," the governor acknowledged. "There are going to be years where you're going to have to take alternate routes and there might be more traffic here or there. There's going to be heavy equipment moving around. But let me tell you, once that gets done, the opportunities it's going to open up for your kids and your kids' kids are going to be worth it."
.@LeaderMcConnell & @GovAndyBeshear Announce Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project Awarded More Than $1.6 Billion in Federal Grants: https://t.co/YkzrKmEScl Transformative project to build second bridge and improve interstates forges ahead for late 2023 groundbreaking.
— Senator McConnell Press (@McConnellPress) December 29, 2022
Roughly 160,000 vehicles and $2 billion in freight cross the bridge every day, according to Courier Journal — double the number originally envisioned when the Brent Spence was built.
