CINCINNATI — Highway ramp closures necessary for the construction on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project are underway.
The exit ramp from eastbound U.S. 50 and the South Street Viaduct to Second Street permanently closed Sunday night. Drivers can use Freeman Avenue, Mehring Way and Elm Street as a detour.
Then, starting late Monday night, the exit ramp from I-75 South to Second Street, exit 1A, will permanently close at approximately 11 p.m. Monday, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said.
Crews will replace that ramp with a new ramp to Third Street that will provide access to Second Street. A temporary ramp will be in place in the fall of this year. In the meantime, drivers can detour via Fifth Street (Exit 1C) and Race Street.
Most, if not all, of these closures were announced in advance as crews plan to begin work building the Brent Spence Bridge's future companion bridge over the Ohio River. Some of the closures are permanent, some will last for the duration of the construction and some are temporary.
The closures are likely to impact drivers in both Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
Here's the remaining list of what will close and when:
- Approximately 11 p.m. July 7: The ramp from westbound U.S. 50/Sixth Street Viaduct to Gest Street will permanently close and be replaced with a new ramp in "a future phase."
- Drivers can use Linn Street and the W. 6th Street service road as a detour.
- Approximately 11 p.m. July 8: The exit ramp from northbound I-71 to Second Street (Exit 1A) will close. It is slated to reopen in the fall of 2028.
- Drivers can use I-75 North to Fifth Street and Race Street as a detour.
- Approximately 10 p.m. July 9: Second Street will be reduced to one lane between the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge and Elm Street and traffic will be maintained in one lane through the spring of 2027.
The $4.05 billion project is expected to take crews until approximately 2031 to complete. That figure includes work on a double-decker companion bridge, two approaches and a re-striping of the existing Brent Spence Bridge. The cost does not include work to fully rehab the existing bridge, which will come at a later date. But the project extends well beyond the double-decker companion bridge and highway approach work.
Crews demolished the Linn Street overpass in April, reducing it from five lanes to two. The $46.7 million project will not only replace the bridge, but also reconstruct it. The new bridge will have two 10-foot driving lanes, as well as bike lanes and sidewalks on each side. A pedestrian bridge over Winchell Avenue will also be replaced. Closures for that work are already in place.
You can find more information on traffic impacts on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor website here.
