Cincinnati transportation engineer officials recently proposed new renderings of the Brent Spence Bridge project to the city council's Climate, Environment, and Infrastructure Committee.
Officials presented plans for a deck over Interstate 75 along Ezzard Charles Drive with greenspace, lighting, pedestrian pathways, and 50 additional feet of land on either side.
John Brazina, director of the City Transportation Department, told WLWT5 News he believes it would be transformational.
"It will be transformational. You know, great cities have these great boulevards. The Champs-Elysees in France. If you think about it, we've got this beautiful building behind us, we dead end at the end of Music Hall. This could be a great boulevard for us. But we got to cross that gulf. What they showed today is a big step in that direction."
In a press release from the city, Mayor Aftab Pureval described the project as "a generational opportunity to correct the mistakes of the past and stitch communities back together – particularly in the West End and Queensgate."
The proposed changes do not affect the crossing distance. Instead, they increase the width of the overpass, thereby allowing for more trees and pathways.
Whether the design of a new companion bridge will be cable or arch has yet to be determined.
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) continue to aim for 2030 for a completion date for the project.
-----------------------------------
Source: WLWT5 News
