CINCINNATI — The new year promises to bring quite a few construction projects with it. Here are three big ones in the Tri-State to watch out for in 2026.
The highly anticipated Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project is set to commence, with major construction expected to begin in early 2026 on the Brent Spence Companion Bridge.
The project, estimated to cost $3.6 million as of late this year, includes a new companion bridge to the west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge. Crews will re-stripe the existing bridge to three lanes instead of four to "improve safety and carry only local traffic," according to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT).
WATCH: Three big construction projects to look out for in 2026
Renderings of the companion bridge were released in June. The double-decker bridge features a cable-stayed and independent deck design.
ODOT has previously estimated the entire project will take 6 million work hours, 95 million pounds of steel, 700 estimated trade workers, more than 60 subcontractors and more than 220 events completed.
While the new companion bridge is intended to ease congestion in the long term, construction will inevitably cause traffic disruptions in the short term, especially considering work on the Fourth Street Bridge replacement project will also begin in 2026.
Phase one of a three-phase Western Hills Viaduct replacement project is also scheduled to begin in the new year.
The 90-year-old connector is a major transportation link and carries more than 55,000 drivers a day.
The replacement bridge will have three lanes of traffic in each direction, plus a single-use path. It will be built next to the existing bridge, so the Viaduct can remain open during construction.
City officials confirmed to our news partner WVXU that the total project is currently estimated at about $785.6 million, up from $398 million estimated in 2022.
The last project to look out for isn't necessarily new, but it's one that'll continue into 2026: the Carroll Cropper Bridge repair project.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) officials previously told WCPO that on Dec. 31, after more than a year of lane restrictions, the lane closure on the bridge's westbound side will come to an end.
However, the eastbound lane closure will continue until March 31, 2026. The extended eastbound lane restriction will allow contractors to focus on painting sections of the bridge's new steel, which will protect against rust. KYTC officials previously called the zone painting project a necessary safety precaution.
The nearly 50-year-old connector between Kentucky and Indiana, over the Ohio River, has been under repair since January 2025. Lane restrictions began in December 2024 in anticipation of expansion joint and floor beam repairs to the bridge. The repairs became necessary when engineers discovered deterioration in some of the bridge's steel.
Crews finished T-1 steel repairs to the bridge this past summer and expansion joint repairs in the fall.
