Search continues for quick ways to make Brent Spence Bridge safer

COVINGTON, Ky. - If Tri-State transportation officials have any new ideas for making the aging Brent Spence Bridge less congested and safer, they could announce them Thursday.

There are plans for a $2 billion addition and replacement for the 48-year-old bridge, but they could take over a decade to become a reality.

Now, the search is on for short term ways to improve traffic along the bridge. The problem is that most of those short term ideas have already been tried and dropped because they caused other problems.

Since a fatal accident on the bridge killed one man in June, transportation plans have taken second looks at bringing back emergency breakdown lanes on the bridge, reducing the speed limit or re-routing heavy truck traffic to Interstates 471 and 275.

The concern is those ideas will slow down traffic even more, and potentially cause more accidents elsewhere.

This latest bridge planning meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon at Cincinnati City Hall. Watch for updates here at WCPO.com and on 9 News.