Group aims to replace Ohio River bridge sooner

The group's goal is to accelerate the selection of a recommended preferred alternative for a new Brent Spence Bridge, according to a statement from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments.

The Associated Press

10/13/2008

COVINGTON, Ky. — Officials in northern Kentucky and southwest Ohio are hoping to give the government a little push to swiftly replace the outdated and overwhelmed bridge that carries Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River.

The group, dubbed "The Bridge Builders," is comprised of officials from the Cincinnati area who got together at the urging of U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, and U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning, R-Ky.

The bridge, which connects Cincinnati with Covington, Ky., hasn't been able to accommodate the population increase in the area.

The group will gather information for federal officials — who will decide the timetable, cost and even the route of the project. The new bridge could cost as much as $3 billion and construction might not start for another 10 years.

Officials don't want to wait that long.

"With the information we collect and provide, we can hopefully knock off a couple of years on the planning process," said Campbell County, Ky., Judge-Executive Steve Pendery, a group member. "Our goal is to speed up this process."

The group, however, must be wary of where to put the project. Officials are nervous about having the bridge put a dent into the potentially profitable Queensgate neighborhood just west of Cincinnati's downtown.

"The project has the potential to take up a huge amount of space," said Cincinnati City Councilman Chris Bortz. "It is going through a pretty tight urban area, and we want to help make sure we maximize the available land."

That means making sure the new bridge avoids Queensgate.

"It has the largest footprint and would leave Covington with no direct southbound access to the city," said Covington City Commissioner Steve Megerle. "Our city staff estimates that (building in Queensgate) would lead to a $22.5 million loss in property values and an unquantifiable indirect economic loss."

The new bridge, whenever it is built, would help ease some of the financial pressure on the area. Officials estimate replacing the bridge would save the area $684 million in shipping costs due to the decreased traffic congestion. The bridge also would save motorists $51 million, the estimated value of their lost time.