Brent Spence Bridge

About the Project

History

Existing Conditions

Study Area

Current Bridge Status

Project Goals

History

Originally opened in 1963, The Brent Spence Bridge (BSB) and its approaches are key elements of the nation’s Interstate Highway System. This facility carries both I-75 and I-71 traffic through the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. This important river crossing is vital to long-distance state and national commerce, as well as being a major thoroughfare for local and regional mobility.

Existing Conditions

Interstate 75 connects the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region with Detroit, Michigan to the north and Miami, Florida to the south. It also connects with I-74 and US 50 to the east and west. I-75 and the railroads that run parallel to it through this region are among the nations busiest. This transportation system is the backbone of commerce and travel through the region. According to Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) estimates, I-75 is one of the busiest trucking routes in North America with truck traffic approaching six billion miles annually. In addition, more than 250 freight trains per day pass through or have destinations within the I-75 corridor. The interstate portions of this transportation system are nearly 50 years old and significant safety and capacity problems exist.

Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky were originally settled in the late 1700’s. The built environment surrounding I-75 and the BSB is characterized by highly disturbed, dense urban development with historic districts and properties nearby. Interstate 75 in Cincinnati is a typical downtown freeway with closely spaced ramps and poor roadway geometry. Improvements to several of the downtown streets were made during the Fort Washington Way reconstruction. Improvements to the connections in Covington were built during the I-75 “Cut in the Hill” project. Within the past few years, several rehabilitation projects were performed in addition to painting the I-471 Bridge.

Study Area

The project study area is located along a seven mile segment of I-75 within the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the State of Ohio. The southern limit of the project is 2,300 feet south of the midpoint of the interchange of I-75 and Dixie Highway (US-127/US-42/US-25) in Kentucky (Exit 188). The northern limit of the project is 1,500 feet north of the midpoint of the interchange of I-75 and the Western Hills Viaduct in Ohio (Exit 2B).

The eastern and western limits of the study area follow the existing alignment of I-75. In Kentucky, the study area is a 1,500-foot wide corridor centered on I-75 south of the City of Covington. At Covington, the eastern and western study area boundaries widen and follow city streets as described below.

The eastern limit of the project:

In the City of Covington, the eastern boundary follows Philadelphia Street to its intersection with 5th Street.

The eastern boundary follows 5th Street to its intersection with Main Street and then follows Main Street to the Ohio River.

The eastern boundary parallels the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge across the Ohio River to Pete Rose Way in the City of Cincinnati.

Through downtown Cincinnati, the eastern boundary follows Second Street and US Route 50 eastbound to approximately I-471 (Daniel Carter Beard Bridge) and Eggleston Avenue, then Third Street, Pike Street and Fourth Street to Elm Street and then northward to west Court Street.

From west of Court Street, the eastern boundary extends west to Linn Street, where it follows Linn Street to Central Parkway.

The boundary extends north paralleling Central Parkway to Linn Street.

From Linn Street, the eastern boundary extends westerly to Bank Street.

From Bank Street, the eastern limits extend in the northerly direction with a consistent 750-foot offset from the I-75 centerline.

The western limit of the project:

At 5th Street in the City of Covington, the western boundary extends in the northwesterly direction across the Ohio River to State Route 50, approximately 1,000 feet west of the Freeman Avenue interchange.

The western limit extends north parallel to Dalton Avenue to Hopkins Street.

The western limit extends westerly along Hopkins Street to the western limits of Union Terminal, where it then extends northerly along the western limits of Union Terminal to Kenner Street.

The western limit follows easterly along Kenner Street until the intersection with Dalton Avenue.

The western limit parallels Dalton Avenue to north of Findlay Street, where it follows in the northerly direction with a consistent 750-foot offset from the I-75 centerline.

Current Bridge status

The National Bridge Inventory lists the Brent Spence Bridge as functionally obsolete due to the capacity, sight distance, and safety concerns associated with its current configuration. These concerns have led to this project being considered a top priority by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, the Ohio Department of Transportation, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments and the cities of Covington, Kentucky and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Project Goals

The Advisory Committee aided in the establishment of goals for project success. The project purpose and need goals for the Brent Spence Bridge Rehabilitation/Replacement Project are as follows:

Improve traffic flow and level of service,

Improve safety,

Correct geometric deficiencies, and

Maintain connections to key regional and national transportation corridors.

Study Area

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Last Updated: 4/10/2008