I'm not positive which bucket of money this is actually coming from, but the first visible construction related to the new BSB started a couple weeks ago with the new sound barriers (made of plexiglass to allow for views still) along Crescent Ave in Covington. I'm curious how these will age but I see them getting either filthy or cloudy over time. 

 

Dayton has had plexiglass sound barriers for decades. It'll get a little salty but be fine.

Excellent video about this history of the BSB, the new second bridge, the improvements that have been made thanks to Bridge Forward and community activism, and how it could be further improved:

 

 

Last week I saw someone stop on the lower deck and back up onto the closed 5th St. ramp.  I have no idea what they were doing or why. 

Any news when renderings for the new river bridge will be released?   I think the design work has been underway for almost a year now but has been quiet other than some revisions to the prior plans to incorporate selected concepts from Bridge Forward on the west side of the CBD.

On 7/19/2024 at 10:25 AM, ucgrady said:

I'm not positive which bucket of money this is actually coming from, but the first visible construction related to the new BSB started a couple weeks ago with the new sound barriers (made of plexiglass to allow for views still) along Crescent Ave in Covington. I'm curious how these will age but I see them getting either filthy or cloudy over time. 

 

Someone already put graffiti on the stone. 

I saw that, luckily they didn't tag the plexiglass, or maybe spray paint doesn't stick to that well?

 

On 9/6/2024 at 4:50 PM, GHOST TRACKS said:

I think the design work has been underway for almost a year now but has been quiet other than some revisions to the prior plans to incorporate selected concepts from Bridge Forward on the west side of the CBD.

I saw what appears to be a geotech drilling rig at the corner of 3rd and John (the old dunhumby building site) this morning which seems like a sign that things are progressing on the engineering front but I haven't heard any updates. 

 

A BETTER BRIDGE

More than a dozen changes are meant to make the Brent Spence project better for everyone

 

Since landing $1.6 billion from the federal government in late 2022, planners have made significant changes to the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge mega-project.

 

The region’s largest overall project spans 8 miles between the Western Hills Viaduct in Cincinnati and Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell and includes a new companion bridge, as well as 3 miles of highway widening on the Ohio side and 5 miles on the Kentucky side.

 

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/09/12/brent-spence-bridge-design-start-25-ohio-kentucky.html

Edited September 12, 2024Sep 12 by Rabbit Hash

Tonight I was coming down the hill and wondered what the hell the tangled orange light was at the bottom, to the left of the highway.  Halfway down I realized that the new salad bar sneeze guard was reflecting Paul Brown Stadium's orange lights from almost a mile away. 

 

So this means that during the winter, when the sun sets before 6pm, northbound drivers will be met with a double-vision cacophany of headlights.  Any stopped emergency vehicles will have their blinking lights doubled or tripled. 

Groups sue Ohio, Kentucky, feds over Brent Spence Bridge project

By Chris Wetterich – Staff reporter and columnist, Cincinnati Business Courier

Oct 18, 2024

 

A coalition of groups pushing for transportation options beyond people driving a car by themselves has sued the federal government, Ohio and Kentucky in a bid to modify the Brent Spence Bridge design, claiming the project as conceived violates federal environmental law.

 

The Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development, Civic Cincinnati, Ride the Cov and Queen City Bike filed the lawsuit Oct. 15. They cited the negative health effects on minority communities from increased air and noise pollution, flooding, the removal of wetlands and forest and the destruction of habitat for endangered species that the $3.6 billion bridge project allegedly will cause.

 

The coalition is led by the Devou Good Foundation, which has worked to add bicycle lanes and paths and boost pedestrian safety throughout the region.

 

They want a new, full environmental impact statement (EIS) under the National Environmental Policy Act.

 

MORE

ODOT's cost assumptions assume a 5.9% inflation rate for FY23 and 4.4% for FY24.

 

In FY23, the seasonally adjusted rate for the National Highway Construction Cost Index was an increase of 11.5%.

In FY24 it's 6% through the first two quarters (on pace for 12%)

Any news when KYTC are going to release updated designs for the new river crossing?  The DOT's have been working on the project for over a year and still showing the

concepts dating from 2012.  Arch or Cable Stayed?

On 11/2/2024 at 7:03 AM, thomasbw said:

ODOT's cost assumptions assume a 5.9% inflation rate for FY23 and 4.4% for FY24.

 

In FY23, the seasonally adjusted rate for the National Highway Construction Cost Index was an increase of 11.5%.

In FY24 it's 6% through the first two quarters (on pace for 12%)

The makeup of the US House in January is going to be very interesting. If Republicans become budget hawks like they have been threatening I could see a possibility that Washington does litereally nothing to help salvage this project.

I'd say it's more likely that federal funding for transit/rail gets redirected to "essential infrastructure projects that real Americans use" like the new BSB.

Yeah this is a road project connecting two red states, I agree that if anything it's more likely that money is siphoned from blue states and urban/transit oriented spending.

Also, I don't see the current lawsuit aimed at stopping the new BSB (claiming that a proper environmental review was not done) going anywhere in this political climate. It's more likely that the new DOGE will "cut red tape" and eliminate pesky rules about building infrastructure through environmentally sensitive areas anyway.

So there was something like a 7-hour backup this afternoon on I-71 south thanks to stalled trucks on the uphill ramp to the Brent Spence Bridge:

https://x.com/wxSpinner89/status/1876012701203173705/photo/3

 

This backup illustrated a big problem with the FWW design - cars and people are pretty much "trapped" in the trench.  There is no break in the center barrier wall where cars can be directed in the opposite direction to simply get them out of there.  Plus, you can't physically climb out of the trench on any sort of staircase. 

30 minutes ago, Lazarus said:

This backup illustrated a big problem with the FWW design - cars and people are pretty much "trapped" in the trench. 

Remember when they closed Fort Washington Way and filled it with water for the American Ninja Warrior™️ triathlon?

18 hours ago, Gordon Bombay said:

Remember when they closed Fort Washington Way and filled it with water for the American Ninja Warrior™️ triathlon?

 

Yeah these squirrels performed at halftime:

 

^No way was towing a squirrel behind an R/C boat a sober idea

I hope im wrong, but I think the bridge was just canceled by Trump.

Edited January 22Jan 22 by unusualfire

1 hour ago, unusualfire said:

I hope im wrong, but I think the bridge was just cancled by Trump.

The bridge got awarded 1.6 billion from the federal government past 2 years ago now.That money is in OKI hands at this point nothing Trump can do to cancel the Brent Spence bridge project at this point.Same with Western Hills Viaduct.

 

Now nothing not already awarded may well be up s**t creek.

1 hour ago, unusualfire said:

I hope im wrong, but I think the bridge was just cancled by Trump.

 

you mean he lied again like he did in 2020?

 

https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/news/politics/elections/2020/10/27/trump-promised-help-brent-spence-bridge-ohio-river-cincinnati/5917523002/

5 minutes ago, ucnum1 said:

The bridge got awarded 1.6 billion from the federal government past 2 years ago now.That money is in OKI hands at this point nothing Trump can do to cancel the Brent Spence bridge project at this point.Same with Western Hills Viaduct.

 

Now nothing not already awarded may well be up s**t creek.

He is trying to undue everything Biden did including the transportation bill approved by congress.

Maybe so but  you can not claw back the federal grants already awarded.Money has already been disbursed.

 

 

https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/funding/

Edited January 22Jan 22 by ucnum1

Trump kicks off potentially messy fight over Biden’s infrastructure money

 

https://www.politico.com/news/2025/01/21/trump-fight-biden-infrastructure-money-00199796

Edited January 22Jan 22 by unusualfire

Thankfully we have a strong Senate team and a Vice-President to back Ohio, right?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/will-having-two-brand-new-u-s-senators-hurt-ohio-s-clout-in-congress/ar-AA1xspCY

I'll take a contrarian view and say maybe it's a good thing. Is the consensus on this board that the companion is a needlessly bloated solution that really won't fix things anyway? Induced demand, hills, etc. 

Not sure if this is the popular opinion on the board, but cancelling the currently proposed/approved BSB project is probably a net positive. ::ducks::

Or maybe The Boring Company can get a contract to build the new Brent Spence Tunnel...

 

 

 

 

Even if the funding is there, if Trump is successful in putting 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, this project is going to balloon in price. Also, the deportation orders are going to really cut into the labor pool. There's no way prices remain anywhere close to estimates if Trump does what he is promising.

"which includes funding related to climate change mitigation and incentives for electric vehicle charging".

 

Seems Brent Spence Bridge funding is safe.

 

https://www.google.com/amp/s/thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/5100846-white-house-budget-office-guidance-ira-funds/amp/

Edited January 23Jan 23 by ucnum1

Yesterday, a truly epic episode in the history of this bridge:

 

 

You can't make this stuff up, folks. 

 

So a four hour bridge closure while this escape artist hides in the bridge girders...I've crossed this bridge myself 1,000+ times and it never occurred to me to climb into the swiss cheese holes to hide from the police! 

 

 

See the attached memo from OMB on funding pause

 

Starting this summer the Riverfront Commons trail will be closed for an estimated 60 months. Below is the detour it will make with either new concrete sidewalks along 3rd or painted on road path on Rivercenter Blvd. 

 

Also the performance auto sales building and lot have been completely removed, seems like this summer things will get into full swing since the staging areas are new ready and the shared path is going to be closed. Then it's just a short 60 month construction schedule! Something tells me that turns into more like 96 months but who's counting...

The KYTC detour map for the Riverfront Commons shows it routed along Rivercenter Blvd between Madison and Johnson for the next 5 years Isn't the City going to close down at least temporarily for construction of the next phase of work on the Central Riverfront Street Grid work and the Garage south of the floodwall? Seems like the detour should be along the relocated 3rd Street in that area unless that also would be impacted by construction.