CINCINNATI — Pieces of the new Brent Spence companion bridge arrived on the Ohio River Sunday evening, marking a major milestone in the $4.4 billion project considered one of the most important infrastructure projects in the country.
A barge carrying pillars that will go into the river stopped in Ludlow, Kentucky, just before 5 p.m. Sunday before making its way to the Brent Spence Bridge.
Work in the water is expected to begin as soon as Tuesday.
"So that process they have to build basically what's a cofferdam to get the water out of the way so that we can do that work in the river bed," said Matt Bruning, the press secretary for the Ohio Department of Transportation.
WATCH: Matt Bruning explains the next steps for the companion bridge
The official Brent Spence Corridor social media pages have been on "Barge Watch" since the Elizabeth Ann left St. Louis late last week. Video from ODOT shows the barge's journey down the Mississippi River before taking a hard right turn up the Ohio River.
The delivery comes following a groundbreaking earlier this month. It's a day Bruning said many thought would never come.
"You know we've been talking about this project for honestly a couple of decades and to get it to where now people can actually see construction happening. It is really exciting," Bruning said.
ODOT says six barges will begin bringing materials needed for construction as soon as Tuesday. That work will not affect traffic yet, but drivers can expect long-term closures before the project is done in 2031. I-71/75 ramp closures are expected to begin as soon as June 8.
