“Folks. It’s about damn time we’re doing it!”
That was President Joe Biden during his visit to the Brent Spence Bridge in Northern Kentucky Wednesday afternoon. The bridge has been a symbol of the nation's aging infrastructure, with leaders from both parties vowing to fix it. It’s one of many stops across the country by the President and his administration designed to promote the bipartisan infrastructure law.
“For decades, people have talked about the Brent Spence Bridge but folks talking is over. The bipartisan infrastructure law, we’re finally going to get it done. The law is the most significant investment. This whole bill is the most significant investment in American roads, bridges since the Eisenhower interstate highway system.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded more than $1.6 billion for projects surrounding the Brent Spence Bridge which sees more than double the traffic it originally was designed for in the 1960’s. It carries Interstates 71 and 75 between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky and is one of the busiest trucking routes in America. The bridge was declared functionally obsolete by the Federal Highway Administration in the 1990s.
The bipartisan infrastructure law will benefit cities across the country beyond bridges and roads. It includes funding for high-speed internet access, port repairs and upgrades and pedestrian zones. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was one of 19 Senate Republicans to support the infrastructure law and has said repairing the Brent Spence has long been a priority.
