Brent Spence Bridge Project
FACT SHEET

December 2, 2004

• Environmental clearance,
• Stage 1 design of the preferred alternative,
• Detailed cost estimates for right of way, utilities and construction, and
• A strategic plan including a financial plan for the project.
   

The cost estimate for this phase is $18 million and will be distributed as follows:

• ODOT – 54.5 percent
• KYTC – 45.5 percent

The Brent Spence Bridge, was originally built as a three-lane bridge, designed to carry 80,000 vehicles per day and opened in 1963.

Currently the bridge carries 155,000 vehicles per day with the average daily traffic volume increasing by 2,000 vehicles annually.

It is anticipated that by 2030, the average daily traffic will be 230,000 vehicles.

In May 2003, work on a Feasibility and Constructability Study of the Replacement/Rehabilitation of the Brent Spence Bridge began. The scope of the study included:

• A limited analysis of restricting trucks on the bridge,
• A limited analysis of a new crossing near Anderson Ferry,
• Field testing critical truss members to determine fatigue life, and
• Development of the replacement/rehabilitation concepts for five-lane and seven-lane crossings.

Field testing conducted in 2003 under the direction of ODOT and KYTC involved measuring the actual physical stress placed on the bridge. This analysis indicated the bridge had an infinite fatigue life.

In 1986, shoulders were eliminated to create a fourth lane. This additional lane increased capacity to 100,000 vehicles per day. The elimination of the shoulders rendered the structure functionally obsolete, as declared by the National Bridge Inventory in 1998.
 

New Release: Ohio and Kentucky Partner on Brent Spence Bridge Project
Fact Sheet: Brent Spence Bridge Project | Southwest Ohio Projects | Northern Kentucky Projects

For more information, contact: 
 Ohio Department of Transportation: , (513) 933-6511 or , (513) 933-6534 ,
  Kentucky Transportation Cabinet:  Nancy Wood, (859) 341-2700