The United States Department of Transportation has approved the construction of the $3.6 Billion Ohio Bridge. The bridge is expected to link three cities and was approved after an environmental review of the proposition for construction. It will link the states of Cincinnati, Ohio, and Covington, Kentucky, as it passes over the Ohio River. The scheme is expected to move into construction as soon as possible expeditiously. The plan is to relieve congestion on the 1963 Brent Spence Bridge, designed to carry 80,000 vehicles daily but now must cope with twice that volume. The proposition is for the Ohio bridge to act as a companion bridge as it will go up beside it, leaving the old one in place for local traffic. Dubbed the Brent Spencer Bridge Corridor plan, the scope of work also entails rebuilding a 13-kilometre stretch of interstates 71 and 75.
The Significance of Constructing the $3.6 Billion Ohio Bridge Beside the Brent Spence
The construction of the $3.6 billion Ohio Bridge beside the Brent Spence Bridge is a project that has been coming for a long time. Ohio governor Mike DeWine described the corridor now as “one of the worst truck bottlenecks in the nation,” as reported by local news outlets. The governor also noted that the new proposed bridge would relieve “the frustration and inconvenience drivers have experienced in the corridor for more than 20 years.” The bridge is fundamental to the interstates as it carries more than $400bn worth of freight annually. The Ohio bridge will ensure faster transportation between the linked cities and provide easy access. Truck drivers are incredibly pleased with the project as they are confident it will reduce the hours spent on the road in slow traffic. It will get $1.6bn in funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. 
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The Scope of Works for the Bridge’s Construction
Last July, officials in the two states selected Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team as the contractor for the first of the scheme’s three phases. This is the most significant piece of construction on the $ 3.6 billion Ohio Bridge. It includes the $3.1 billion bridge and road improvements along five miles of I-71/75 in Kentucky and one mile of I-75 in Ohio. The joint venture team includes designers AECOM, Parsons, and Jacobs. The Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet jointly plan the design. They are deliberating between an arch or cable-stayed bridge west of the existing bridge to carry interstates 71 and 75. The double-deckered companion bridge will have five lanes per deck. The plan also calls for widening the highway by 7.8 miles and rebuilding various highway bridges and interchanges along the route. It also entails adding collector-distributor roads aimed at improving the flow of traffic. 
The State of Affairs Regarding the Construction Project
The plan is based on an earlier version approved in 2012 but not built due to a lack of funding. The current $3.6 billion Ohio bridge project is partly funded with $1.6 billion from 2021’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act via the Federal Highway Administration. Furthermore, the refined plan reduces the project footprint from 53.38 acres to 51.18 acres. Phase two and three contracts have not been awarded. Both would cover road improvements along the Ohio section of I-75. ODOT expects that each cost more than $200 million. Construction of one phase would start in 2026 and the other in 2029. The $3.6 billion Ohio Bridge will be a significant project in the United States.
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