Proposal calls for 14-lane bridge

 

Seven lanes in each direction are needed for the Brent Spence Bridge replacement just to upgrade the traffic flow from a failing F grade to a D.

 

That's the tall order Ohio and Kentucky engineers face as they move into the $18 million second phase of bridge development with $8 million in hand and $10 million more needed within two years to keep the project on track.

 

http://www.cincypost.com/2005/02/08/bridge020805.html

Where the hell would they put a highway in the Anderson Ferry area?  That part of Delhi (forget about Riverside) is completely built out.

I think they mean just a regular road bridge, not a highway.

^ Oops...it would help if I could read.

 

From the 2/15/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Big-city chambers lobby for transportation bill

Funding for Brent Spence replacement gets help

By James Pilcher

Enquirer staff writer

 

Cincinnati's largest business association has enlisted some big-city help in its effort to land transportation funding for the area, especially for the Brent Spence Bridge project.

 

The Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce has led a letter-writing effort involving the chambers of six large cities, including Chicago, Seattle, Washington and San Francisco aimed at pressuring the White House and Congress to finally resolve the long-delayed transportation funding bill.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050215/NEWS01/502150363/1056

 

From the 3/3/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Panel OKs Brent Spence money

Just how much is not yet clear

By Bob Driehaus

Post staff reporter

 

An undetermined amount of Brent Spence Bridge replacement project funding and $42 million for other Greater Cincinnati projects are included in a $284 billion, six-year transportation bill that cleared a U.S. House committee on Wednesday.

 

The House Transportation Committee voted by voice to renew and significantly expand the highway spending program that has been running on temporary extensions since the last six-year plan, funded at $218 billion, expired in September 2003.

 

http://www.cincypost.com/2005/03/03/road030305.html

 

An update from the 3/8/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Brent Spence missing from House highway bill

But don't panic, pols say: Money could come in other ways

By Carl Weiser

Enquirer Washington Bureau

 

WASHINGTON - The House this week is expected to approve a bill providing $284 billion for the nation's highways and bridges - but as it's written now, it contains not a penny for the Brent Spence Bridge, the Cincinnati area's top transportation priority.

 

The congressman representing Northern Kentucky, whose district includes the bridge, insists that will change before the House votes on it Thursday.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050308/NEWS01/503080359/1077/news01

 

An update from the 3/12/05 Enquirer:

 

 

Brent Spence backers say $2M is OK

By James Pilcher

Enquirer staff writer

 

COVINGTON - The top highway officials from Ohio and Kentucky said Friday they had little concern that the U.S. House this week set aside only $2 million for the estimated $750 million Brent Spence Bridge replacement project.

 

The states have never expected to start construction of a new bridge until next decade. But both states were encouraged that, for the first time, the project was in the main federal transportation funding bill - because it puts the Brent Spence in line for more complete funding in 2010, when the states will need construction money.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050312/NEWS01/503120360

 

unfortunately it seems the bridge wont get fixed until some terrible accident happens

^ Yes, after several years perhaps we'll be seeing such new headlines as:

 

Congress allocates $2 million for Brent Spence Pile of Rubble

Mess of concrete and twisted steel lying in river bed is carrying far more vehicles than it was designed for, says transportation spokesman

LOL

From the 3/17/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Top official backs Brent Spence project

By Michael Collins

Post Washington Bureau

 

WASHINGTON -- A top-ranking highway official assured a group of Cincinnati business and civic leaders Wednesday that the federal government remains committed to repairing or replacing the Brent Spence Bridge and is prepared to help move the project along.

"We stand ready to offer any assistance we can to advance that crucial project," said Jeffrey Shane, undersecretary of transportation and the No. 3 official in the U.S. Department of Transportation.

http://www.cincypost.com/2005/03/17/brent031705.html

 

Hopefully construction can start in 2010.I'm certain it will be two bridges.

This would be great.  Cincinnati needs a Calatrava work to add to its riverfront.

_____________________________

 

 

Bold bridge design sought

 

By Bob Driehaus

Post staff reporter

 

The Brent Spence Bridge will never be mistaken for a Cincinnati landmark like its upstream, Ohio River neighbor, the historic Roebling Suspension Bridge.

 

So, as plans roll out for a Brent Spence replacement that's wider and easier to cross in rush hour, some boosters of the project hope that the new bridge will be worthy of video shots from the Goodyear Blimp.

 

Publication date: 04-22-2005

 

He cited the Maumee River Crossing, a $220 million cable-stayed bridge now under construction in Toledo. That span, which will carry six lanes of traffic on Interstate 280, features numerous metal cables suspended from central towers.

 

 

 

Nooooooooo!!!!!! Cable-stayed bridges are everywhere now. If they want a distinctive design, they should look elsewhere. I vote for a slick deco/truss design akin to the Sydney Harbor bridge. Something stately that complements Cincinnati's historic character.

 

 

^^^^Hey all you photoshop geeks - get to work on that!^^^^

Oh yeah, that would rock out...

 

 

      "and devise a strategic plan for the project that includes a way to finance the estimated $750 million cost."

 

    Umm, we haven't found a way to pay for this thing yet, folks. I wouldn't get too excited about designs.

 

    But it's still fun to photoshop.

 

   

i would hope they would invest heavily in the design of this bridge, but the way cincinnati is... i wouldn't hold out much hope. i mean, look at the 'grand' entrace they created for the purple people bridge. they still can't even get the roebling painted! the thing is going to rust and fall into the river at this rate (then we'll have two bridges in the river!!)

 

anyway, i agree we need something dramatic and suitable of cincinnati. but without even having a site for the thing, we're a long ways away from seeing actual bridge design ideas

Yeah, like 4 years at least.  By that time this thread will be 40 pages long.

and then when they decide on a design, they can argue about the color for another 4 years

  Wait a minute. I'm a little lost. All of a sudden everyone's pointing fingers at Cincinnati for not getting this stuff done. I know the Cincinnati side of the purple people bridge is their fault. But isn't the Suspension Bridge and the new I-75/I-71 Bridge the responsibility of Kentucky? ODOT will most likely help out with the new Brent Spence, but the Suspension Bridge seems to be Kentucky's baby.

  Now if the OHIO River belonged to OHIO like the name entitles......

  I never understood that crap. It's called the OHIO River, but belongs to Kentucky.

  What was it? Compensation to the south?.... Hey we feel bad and all for you guys losing the war and everything.....Here, take our river!!! :-D

^ My understanding is that Kentucky was basically a part of Virginia before statehood, and the orginial charter for Virginia went across the entire river rather than to the middle of it.  Thus, Kentucky and West Vriginia today own most of the river.  The border is established as the 1793 low water mark on the northern side, so Ohio includes some portion of the river at normal levels.  What I often wonder is where exactly the border is within the river.  Unfortunately Kentucky and West Virginia were Union states; otherwise maybe we could have stolen the river after the war! :wink:

  Thanks PigBoy!!!

  I think.

  My brain hurts now. :-P

my only reason to point a finger at ohio for this stage of the project is that it seems they are funding most of this design/discovery/whatever phase. by quite a large margin. which is fine, i don't care who funds it, but the way ohio/cincinnati projects go, i just hope us funding this doesn't also include all the political bs that comes attached to projects in cincinnati.

 

ky's section of 75 is also in much better condition than the ohio side, so until ohio can sort out a fix and update of 75 that will also hinder this project. i think in a prior article/post there was a statement about ohio wanting to sort out the issues with 75 prior to bridge construction (obviously, since a new bridge would do nothing if it keeps bottlenecking as soon as you hit the ohio shoreline)

also, the river was named ohio before the state was formed. the state was named after the river, and is an iroquoi word meaning great river

 

This little blurb appeared in the 5/20/05 Enquirer's "Briefly" section:

 

 

Chambers lobby for funds

 

The chambers of commerce for Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky have started a letter writing campaign, lobbying members of the House and Senate for more money to replace the Brent Spence Bridge. The letter, dated May 12, has been sent to 70 members of Congress whose districts line up along Interstates 71 and 75. "Replacing the bridge is a mega-project that necessitates funding commensurate with that distinction," the letter says. "The Brent Spence Bridge ... requires significant funding in this transportation bill." The House version of the bill set aside $2 million for the project with an estimated cost of $750 million. The Senate version set aside no money. Whatever federal dollars that eventually come into the region for a new bridge in this six-year transportation bill will be hammered out in conference committee in coming weeks.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050520/NEWS01/505200412/1056/rss02

 

From the 5/28/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Voinovich has role in bridge's future

By Michael Collins

Post Washington Bureau

 

WASHINGTON - Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky officials trying to win federal money to repair or replace the Brent Spence Bridge got some encouraging news on Friday.

 

Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, a Cleveland Republican, will sit on the conference committee responsible for putting together the final transportation bill in which money for the project could be included.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050528/NEWS01/505280339

 

Also, I have aside from "beautiful" heard that Ohio meant "catfish", or the Catfish River.  So I think the jury's out as to where "Ohio" originated and what it meant.     

What I often wonder is where exactly the border is within the river.

 

If you look at the Tailor Southgate Bridge, you can see fencing along pedestrian walkways on the Ohio side.  I'm assumung where they stop is the official state line, and that Kentucky didn't see the need for the fencing.

 

http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/ztaylor1.jpg

http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/ztaylor3.jpg

http://www.cincinnati-transit.net/ztaylor7.jpg

interesting catch

Also, I have aside from "beautiful" heard that Ohio meant "catfish", or the Catfish River. So I think the jury's out as to where "Ohio" originated and what it meant.

 

 

^i've never heard that one before.

i might swing by the ohio history museum soon to see if they know

From the 6/15/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Brent backers start mail campaign

By Bob Driehaus

Post staff reporter

 

As a congressional committee meets to reconcile two versions of a six-year transportation bill, Greater Cincinnati's business and government leaders aren't taking any chances that funding the replacement for the aging Brent Spence Bridge is forgotten.

 

Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce have mailed a joint letter to all 23 senators and 67 representatives on the joint committee that hopes to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the massive bill this month.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050615/NEWS01/506150349

 

From the 6/18/05 Enquirer:

 

 

I-71/75 bridge replacement cost tops $1B

Could span Ohio River by 2015

By Dan Klepal

Enquirer staff writer

 

Building a new Brent Spence Bridge to connect Ohio and Kentucky would require a river of cash.

 

A three-year study of five alternative bridge crossings, released to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, found that the average cost of building a span over the Ohio River is more than $1 billion.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050618/NEWS01/506180364/-1/rss

 

My bet is with option 1, then option 3.  Since the Brent Spence is ok, I don't think they really need to take it down.  If they put 71/75 on the same bridge, it would be cool to see one of the levels of the Brent Spence used for a light rail line to N. Kentucky.

The only reason I would be against options 1, 2 and 5 is that it takes away precious tax-generating industrial land that the city can't really afford to lose, since there's almost no place left to add industrial sites within the city limits.

 

Then again, there are drawbacks to all of the options, really.

From the 6/25/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Neighborhood has special interest in new river span

By Bob Driehaus

Post staff reporter

 

In the shadow of Interstate 75, Covington's Lewisburg neighborhood holds its grip on Dave Bockweg despite the huge disruption caused 40 years ago by construction of the highway.

 

Bockweg, who moved to a larger house in Erlanger, Ky., years ago, still goes back to the old neighborhood nearly every day to attend Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050625/NEWS01/506250362

 

I wonder if any thought has been put into adding another northbound lane between I-275 and the Brent Spence.  If the 2nd street ramp was taken out, the fourth lane could be added easily, and the ramp could be taken out because it is not safe getting on the freeway at that point.  Covington could improve the C-D and I think it would add some capacity for a relative low price.

I-75/-I-71 will be 5 lanes each direction between Mt Zion road and the Ohio river. It's in KY long range plans, but it's waiting on the bridge replacement.

But I am saying for right now, add the extra lane, because it is only 3 lanes going north, and eliminate the ramp.

It is about time

 

Funding for new bridge included in highway bill

From staff and wire reports

 

House and Senate negotiators have reached broad agreement on a new highway and mass transit bill that includes funding for the replacement of the aging Brent Spence Bridge.

 

The deal ends a nearly two-year standoff that has delayed job-creating construction projects and put new safety programs on hold throughout the nation.

$45M for bridge study OK'd

Congress also to allocate $16 million for 6th St. Viaduct

 

By Malia Rulon

Enquirer Washington Bureau

 

 

WASHINGTON - Congress reached an agreement late Thursday on a long-awaited transportation bill that includes an initial $45.6 million for a study on ways to replace the overcrowded, 42-year-old Brent Spence Bridge.

 

The $286 billion bill comes after more than two years of disagreements among lawmakers and the White House over how much to spend on highway, bridge and mass transit projects nationally through the end of the decade. Many lawmakers had wanted a bigger bill to shorten commutes and increase highway construction jobs. But President Bush threatened to veto any bill that increased the deficit or raised the 18.4-cent-per-gallon federal gasoline tax.

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050729/NEWS01/507290410

From the 8/3/05 Cincinnati Post:

 

 

Bridge joint effort shaky

By Michael Collins

Post Washington Bureau

 

WASHINGTON - Government and civic leaders on both sides of the Ohio River promised a united two-state front when they set out nearly three years ago to secure federal funding to repair or replace the Brent Spence Bridge.

 

But while there was broad agreement on the need for the $750 million project, there was little consensus on how much money would be required upfront to get it done.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050803/NEWS01/508030346

 

See i told you they should have asked for more.

Newly Signed Highway Bill Has Its Pros And Cons

 

 

President Bush says it will bring America's transportation network into the 21st century, while critics say it's too big and clogged with waste.

 

Bush signed the $286 billion highway bill during a ceremony at a Catepillar plant outside Chicago Wednesday.

 

http://www.wcpo.com/news/2005/local/08/10/highway_bill.html

At least someone is thinking about this ahead of time.  This bridge should be a signature piece of engineering/architecture and has the potential to be a defining symbol of the entire region.  (If read between the lines, we don't need another lame-ass Taylor Southgate Bridge)

 

 

Bridge will be one of a kind

 

By Bob Driehaus

Post staff reporter

 

TOTAL COST

Early estimates put the cost of a five-lane bridge in each direction at $750 million.

 

The cost of a seven-lane bridge is pegged at $1.5 billion.

 

 

 

One percent of the budget to build the Brent Spence Bridge - anywhere from $7.5 million to $15 million - will be dedicated to making the span a signature piece of architecture.

 

Kevin Rust, a Kentucky Transportation Cabinet engineer overseeing the massive project, said transportation officials are assembling an aesthetics committee that will meet in November to decide how best to use that chunk of change.

 

http://news.cincypost.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051007/NEWS01/510070355

So have they decided on one bridge? That's not clear. I was hoping for two, one to replace the Brent Spence and one much futher west.

Here is the problem

 

If you only expand the bridge to 5 lanes(each direction) and  I-75 is expected be expanded by one or 2 more lanes. Now If that get's rid of that bottleneck and the bridge is only one lane extra each direction. there will be  HUGE bottleneck at the bridge since all that traffic that is normally backup miles further up the highway will be funnled down again just like the  situation is now, but even worse this time.

 

Eg.

The bridge is 8 lanes now. I-75 is 8 lanes from I-74 to the bridge and 6 lanes from 74 to I-275, where it becomes 8 lanes again.

 

So they want the bridge to be 10 lanes.The highway from I-74 to the bridge will be at least 10 lanes. so they NEVER got rid of the bottleneck. this iis not including I-71 either.

 

So what you will see is the bridge will never improve if they go with a 10 lane bridge.

Any updates on what the new bridge might look like?

I would say it will be months (if not years) before we see anything.