The first visible signs of construction are emerging for the Brent Spence Companion Bridge with the arrival of the tugboat Elizabeth Ann and its heavy-life crane barge.
The companion bridge will be built west of the existing Brent Spence Bridge and carry long-distance and through-traffic across the Ohio River between Cincinnati and northern Kentucky.
The $4.39 billion, double-deck bridge project is designed to address one of the nation’s worst traffic bottlenecks at the convergence of Interstate 75 and Interstate 71 in Kentucky and Interstate 75 in Ohio.
The existing Brent Spence Bridge will be converted to serve local traffic. It will be restriped from four lanes to three and have its shoulders restored to improve traffic safety and reduce weaving.
River Operations Signal Construction Kickoff
America’s inland waterways are playing a key role in launching the project, as the Elizabeth Ann traveled down the Ohio River to Kentucky’s Scribble Park.
A staging area known as Pete Rose Pier will serve as the operational hub for the crane and accompanying barges, supporting river-based construction activities, according to the U.S. Army.
Before arriving in Kentucky, the heavy-life crane was being used on a project in St. Louis. Rather than dismantling and transporting the equipment by roads, crews moved it by barge through hundreds of miles of waterways, navigating multiple U.S. Army Corps of Engineers lock and dam systems.
Construction of the bridge footers is expected to begin this summer or early fall.
In-water work will start this summer with crews driving sheet piles and constructing bulkheads, requiring close coordination between the transportation agencies in Kentucky and Ohio and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep commercial river traffic moving.
According to the press release, the Elizabeth Ann is the first of several vessels that will deliver equipment and materials to the site. Multiple cranes operating from both land and water will support construction through the project’s targeted completion in 2031.
Sources: U.S. Army
