CINCINNATI — Cincinnati drivers face a summer packed with road closures tied to the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, with some traffic impacts arriving in the coming weeks.
Ohio Department of Transportation Project Manager Tommy Arnold presented a construction forecast to Cincinnati's Climate, City Services and Infrastructure Committee on June 9, outlining what commuters should expect through the fall.
"Just to give you a sense of scale of it, there's enough structural steel to build five Paycor Stadiums," Arnold said. "It's a massive undertaking, and it's going to be a huge improvement for our city and region."
WATCH: See what road closures are hitting Greater Cincinnati this summer
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.
"There's a lot of great local improvements that are going to be coming," Arnold said. "What's coming up in June are a little bit more of the long-term closures."
More closures on the Ohio side will pop up in the coming months.
Interstate ramps leading to 2nd Street, including northbound I-71 and US 50 eastbound to southbound I-75, will close in late June. The northbound I-71 ramp to 2nd Street will reopen in 2028, according to ODOT. The US 50 westbound ramp to Gest Street will follow on or after July 7.
There will also be short-term closures underway this summer, including West 3rd Street in mid-July and Central Avenue in early August, after 3rd Street reopens.
Arnold said officials will monitor traffic data and make adjustments across all ongoing project areas as needed.
"Use real-time data to see how folks are moving through not just the work zone but other roads to look for opportunities for improvement," Arnold said.
A partial demolition of Longworth Hall is also underway, but has not triggered road closures. Arnold said the project includes a restoration component tied to the building's history.
"We are also then going to be restoring the east end of Longworth Hall to look like it did back when it was originally built in 1904," Arnold said. "We're going to be salvaging more than 50,000 bricks to restore that look of the original design, as well as salvaging historic materials."
Arnold said the project team is working with local nonprofits as part of that effort.
On the Kentucky side, Covington drivers are adjusting to several long-term interstate closures that took effect June 8.
In late fall, the city's Texas Turnaround is scheduled to close while the 4th Street ramp to the northbound side of the interstate reopens.
Arnold encouraged residents to visit the project website for updates, including new renderings of aesthetic improvements planned for local bridges over Interstate 75 and an interactive virtual tour of the project.
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