The event will showcase the $1.64 billion in funding awarded to the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, which connects Kentucky and Ohio across the Ohio River. The project includes the rehabilitation of a heavily congested 60-year-old bridge and the construction of a new one.
Funding for Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project Years in the Making
The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, which has been in the works for years, will receive $1.64 billion in funding as part of the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure bill. The project aims to ease traffic congestion and improve the supply chain movement on the nationally significant corridor by rehabilitating a heavily congested 60-year-old bridge and constructing a new one. The funding for the project, which connects Kentucky and Ohio across the Ohio River, has been supported by both Democrats and Republicans, including President Joe Biden, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine.
History of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project
The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, which aims to ease traffic congestion and improve the supply chain movement on the nationally significant corridor, has a long history. In 2011, then-President Barack Obama visited the crossing and called on Congress to pass a jobs bill costing billions of dollars that could include rebuilding the bridge, which had already been declared functionally obsolete. During his 2016 campaign for the White House, Donald Trump also backed funding for the project.
However, despite his repeated promises to pass a large infrastructure bill, Trump needed help to secure funding for the project or pass the infrastructure bill during his time in office. The project will finally receive $1.64 billion in funding as part of the $1 trillion 2021 infrastructure bill passed in November 2021, which includes $27 billion over five years to fix and replace thousands of aging US bridges.
