$4.4 billion Brent Spence Bridge construction starting

After many delays, construction work for the $4.4 billion Brent Spence bridge linking Ohio and Kentucky is due to commence shortly. The work will be carried out by a joint venture partnership, comprising Walsh and Kokosing.

The project forms part of the upgrade to the Brent Spence Corridor. This will address a major source of traffic congestion between Cincinnati in Ohio and Covington in Kentucky. The existing bridge is no longer able to cope with traffic demand and delays are common on the route, particularly at peak periods.

The project has been subject to negotiations between the US Federal Department of Transportation and the authorities in Cincinnati and Covington as well as the Ohio Department of Transportation and Kentucky Department of Transportation.

Construction will begin with building the new companion bridge and improving around 1.6km of the highway approach in Ohio and 1.6km of the approach road in Kentucky. Focusing on this segment first to redirect Interstate 71/Interstate 75 traffic over the new companion bridge is anticipated to be the fastest way to bring the most safety benefits and traffic relief to the region. Subsequent portions of the project (additional highway improvements to the north and south in both states, as well as the rehabilitation of the Brent Spence) are still being planned.

Kentucky governor Andy Beshear commented, “The work is set to begin on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, which will deliver safer travel for our families, create good-paying construction jobs, boost national commerce and ease congestion for those commuting between Ohio and Kentucky.”

The project was originally expected to cost $3.6 billion. But construction of this first portion of the corridor project has been affected by significant rise in costs for construction materials, goods and services in recent years. Kentucky’s share of the construction cost is $1.7 billion. The Federal Highway Administration’s National Highway Construction Cost Index shows that highway construction costs rose nationally by 61% from 2020 to 2025.

Funding for the project is expected to be covered through KYTC and ODOT state revenues and/or through financing. Each state will cover the cost of their own highway work and share the cost of the companion bridge. Subsequent portions of the project (additional highway improvements to the north and south in both states, as well as the rehabilitation of the Brent Spence Bridge) will be estimated closer to the time of construction to use the most accurate material cost information.

“This project has been discussed for decades, and we are now at the point where plans are becoming reality. This project will make travel safer, strengthen the economy, and build a transportation system that reflects the importance of this region to Ohio, Kentucky and the nation,” said Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Pamela Boratyn.

The new bridge is due for completion in 2031, while work to the approach routes should be finished by 2033.