SPI Insights

(Photo: Courtesy of Ohio Department of Transportation)

Cincinnati — The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project will build a companion bridge alongside the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor which connects Cincinnati and Covington, Kentucky. Infrastructure improvements on one mile of Ohio corridor and three miles of Kentucky corridor are planned for this project. Proposed improvements include refining entrance and exit ramps on Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth streets to better integrate them into the city’s street network. The plan also removes one exit ramp.

The city mayor announced the updated master plan to include improvements to the area between Third and Seventh Street in downtown Cincinnati. A significant portion of the almost 10 acres of land the city wants to reclaim is behind a park west of the urban core.

Reclaimed land will enhance downtown green space and create new areas for future development. The reclaimed land will have an estimated value of $20 million with the potential to bring in more than $500,000 annually in real estate taxes. There are no definite plans for land use currently but there’s the potential for large-scale investments in the area.

The new plan places an emphasis on redesigning bridges crossing the interstate and adds pedestrian and bike safety enhancements at 10 connections across Interstate 75, including West Liberty Street and Harrison Avenue. The plan is to add a new shared-use path along Winchell Avenue between Ninth Street and Ezzard Charles Drive, including a pedestrian bridge connection to Freeman Avenue.

Another goal is to create a “city feel” on or under interstate bridges, according to a report from the hired engineering consultant. The report doesn’t go into specifics, but it alludes to things such as the aesthetics of the bridges and improving green space in those areas. The new bridge infrastructure will improve traffic congestion and lead to improvements in downtown Cincinnati.

The new plan will better connect neighborhoods previously broken up by the interstate system. The Cincinnati Department of Transportation and Engineering is going to work with residents on the plan. The Brent Spence Bridge Project Advisory Committee will also host public hearings next summer to give residents an opportunity to weigh in.

The Ohio and Kentucky governors applied for about $1.7 billion in federal grant funding through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Information about the funding approval will be available this winter. The project is expected to start in November 2023. Details about the project can be found on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project website.