I-71/I-75 Brent Spence Bridge Replacement

[amroad17]

Also, the bridge footprint has been reduced from 172 feet to 107 feet and the Cincinnati city council still wants it reduced more?

The city wants the footprint of the Ohio approach interchange complex to be reduced.

OK. When I read that post, I thought they were talking about the bridge.

[TempoNick]

Totally agree.  This is the logic I always used to avoid Chicago or New York City if I did not have to be in those cities.
[/quote]

Personally, I'm hesitant to change route numbers, for example, I-74 through Peoria. I know there's a bypass they tell you to use, but I also know that I-74 goes to my destination, so why tempt fate. But I prefer the bypass around the Quad Cities to get to Interstate 80.

Professional drivers and local traffic aren't going to be swayed by a number, that is true. But the casual traveler making a split second decision may very well choose to leave well enough alone.

[thenetwork]

Switching route numbers in Cincy may have been a great idea ---in the days of paper maps and no GPS nor map apps...

Nowadays, technology has made route switching for EXISTING highways obsolete. It only makes sense if you are building a new highway along a new corridor. 

[Plutonic Panda]

[vtk]

I still keep expecting to see Erin McBride on those videos

[doglover44]

What is the bridge replacement supposed to look like ?

[Ted$8roadFan]

Here's one view:

https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/

[ITB]

A Walsh Construction and Kokosing Construction joint venture, named the Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, has been selected as the design-build contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge corridor project. According to ENR, it's a $3.1 billion contract award. Both Kokosing and Walsh are Midwest based, with Kokosing located in Westerville, Ohio, and Walsh in Chicago.

Read more about this major contract award here, here, and here.

[jt4]

Here's one view:

https://brentspencebridgecorridor.com/

My only complaint about the design of the bridge is that it looks like a painted version of the I-471 "Big Mac Bridge".

[TempoNick]

A Walsh Construction and Kokosing Construction joint venture, named the Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, has been selected as the design-build contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge corridor project. According to ENR, it's a $3.1 billion contract award. Both Kokosing and Walsh are Midwest based, with Kokosing located in Westerville, Ohio, and Walsh in Chicago.

Read more about this major contract award here, here, and here.

I understand from the Ohio side of things, but I figure Kokosing must have greased a lot of palms in Kentucky to get that job. How does Walsh fit in? Are they some kind of preferred contractor in Kentucky like Kokosing is in Ohio?

[ITB]

A Walsh Construction and Kokosing Construction joint venture, named the Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, has been selected as the design-build contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge corridor project. According to ENR, it's a $3.1 billion contract award. Both Kokosing and Walsh are Midwest based, with Kokosing located in Westerville, Ohio, and Walsh in Chicago.

Read more about this major contract award here, here, and here.

I understand from the Ohio side of things, but I figure Kokosing must have greased a lot of palms in Kentucky to get that job. How does Walsh fit in? Are they some kind of preferred contractor in Kentucky like Kokosing is in Ohio?

Both Walsh and Kokosing are major contractors who have expertise and experience to tackle a major project like the Brent Spence Bridge Project. Neither company is a preferred contractor for a particular state or area. First and foremost is the ability to do the contracted job. And with the Brent Spence Bridge Project, the number of companies that can "do" the job, build that bridge, is not particularly large. Far from it. There's probably only 20 to 30 companies nationwide that have the ability to take on such a large project.

Because the Spence Bridge Project is such a major undertaking, Walsh and Kokosing decided to team up to form a joint venture. It's a plus Kokosing is located in Ohio, but if they had been headquartered in Tennessee or Kentucky, it would have made no difference in the contract award. Again, it's the expertise and experience of Walsh and Kokosing that led to the contract award. Typically, way before a contract is awarded, there's a step in the process called the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) in which companies have to put forward documentation to prove they have the ability to do the job. After that, often there's the RFP (Request for Proposals), where companies put forward how the intend to do the project, who will be the consulting and design engineers, etc., as well as cost projections.

As an example, here's an official ODOT announcement on how they intended to proceed in awarding the Brent Spence Bridge Project contract.

[TempoNick]

A Walsh Construction and Kokosing Construction joint venture, named the Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, has been selected as the design-build contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge corridor project. According to ENR, it's a $3.1 billion contract award. Both Kokosing and Walsh are Midwest based, with Kokosing located in Westerville, Ohio, and Walsh in Chicago.

Read more about this major contract award here, here, and here.

I understand from the Ohio side of things, but I figure Kokosing must have greased a lot of palms in Kentucky to get that job. How does Walsh fit in? Are they some kind of preferred contractor in Kentucky like Kokosing is in Ohio?

Both Walsh and Kokosing are major contractors who have expertise and experience to tackle a major project like the Brent Spence Bridge Project. Neither company is a preferred contractor for a particular state or area. First and foremost is the ability to do the contracted job. And with the Brent Spence Bridge Project, the number of companies that can "do" the job, build that bridge, is not particularly large. Far from it. There's probably only 20 to 30 companies nationwide that have the ability to take on such a large project.

Because the Spence Bridge Project is such a major undertaking, Walsh and Kokosing decided to team up to form a joint venture. It's a plus Kokosing is located in Ohio, but if they had been headquartered in Tennessee or Kentucky, it would have made no difference in the contract award. Again, it's the expertise and experience of Walsh and Kokosing that led to the contract award. Typically, way before a contract is awarded, there's a step in the process called the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) in which companies have to put forward documentation to prove they have the ability to do the job. After that, often there's the RFP (Request for Proposals), where companies put forward how the intend to do the project, who will be the consulting and design engineers, etc., as well as cost projections.

As an example, here's an official ODOT announcement on how they intended to proceed in awarding the Brent Spence Bridge Project contract.

All I know is what I see, and most of the jobs here in Ohio, at least in this part of the state, are either Kokosing or Shelly and Sands. Both Ohio companies. I know what official policy is, but I'm skeptical that they don't get all these jobs because they are Ohio companies and they are preferred. Nothing wrong with that by the way, I like keeping money in state. Walsh is what surprises me.

[ITB]

A Walsh Construction and Kokosing Construction joint venture, named the Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, has been selected as the design-build contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge corridor project. According to ENR, it's a $3.1 billion contract award. Both Kokosing and Walsh are Midwest based, with Kokosing located in Westerville, Ohio, and Walsh in Chicago.

Read more about this major contract award here, here, and here.

I understand from the Ohio side of things, but I figure Kokosing must have greased a lot of palms in Kentucky to get that job. How does Walsh fit in? Are they some kind of preferred contractor in Kentucky like Kokosing is in Ohio?

Both Walsh and Kokosing are major contractors who have expertise and experience to tackle a major project like the Brent Spence Bridge Project. Neither company is a preferred contractor for a particular state or area. First and foremost is the ability to do the contracted job. And with the Brent Spence Bridge Project, the number of companies that can "do" the job, build that bridge, is not particularly large. Far from it. There's probably only 20 to 30 companies nationwide that have the ability to take on such a large project.

Because the Spence Bridge Project is such a major undertaking, Walsh and Kokosing decided to team up to form a joint venture. It's a plus Kokosing is located in Ohio, but if they had been headquartered in Tennessee or Kentucky, it would have made no difference in the contract award. Again, it's the expertise and experience of Walsh and Kokosing that led to the contract award. Typically, way before a contract is awarded, there's a step in the process called the RFQ (Request for Qualifications) in which companies have to put forward documentation to prove they have the ability to do the job. After that, often there's the RFP (Request for Proposals), where companies put forward how the intend to do the project, who will be the consulting and design engineers, etc., as well as cost projections.

As an example, here's an official ODOT announcement on how they intended to proceed in awarding the Brent Spence Bridge Project contract.

All I know is what I see, and most of the jobs here in Ohio, at least in this part of the state, are either Kokosing or Shelly and Sands. Both Ohio companies. I know what official policy is, but I'm skeptical that they don't get all these jobs because they are Ohio companies and they are preferred. Nothing wrong with that by the way, I like keeping money in state. Walsh is what surprises me.

Walsh Construction shouldn't be a surprise. It's Chicago-based and has extensive expertise and experience building major bridges. According to its website, the company is ranked by Engineering News-Record as the largest bridge builder in the United States.

Kokosing is Ohio's largest construction contractor. They do a lot of road and bridge projects in Ohio and in neighboring states. That's why you see their signs a lot. In Indiana, for example, Kokosing built a major bridge over wetlands and the Patoka River as part of the I-69 corridor project. They were also tapped for the emergency repairs on the Brent Spence Bridge after the crash and fire.

It's possible the Brent Spence Bridge Project was just a little too big for Kokosing to tackle alone. But, by joining with Walsh, a very strong, experienced, well capitalized team was formed. And, in the end, it's probably best for all parties involved, particularly the states of Ohio and Kentucky who want this bridge built, and, more importantly, built right.

[hbelkins]

Kokosing has been winning more competitive bid projects in Kentucky recently. Of course a design-build partnership is a little different than a competitively-bid construction job, but I wouldn't read any shady dealings into this. Who knows what other joint ventures submitted a proposal for this design-build?

[TempoNick]

Kokosing has been winning more competitive bid projects in Kentucky recently. Of course a design-build partnership is a little different than a competitively-bid construction job, but I wouldn't read any shady dealings into this. Who knows what other joint ventures submitted a proposal for this design-build?

I'm not necessarily saying that it's shady, but some money always goes around in campaign contributions. That's the way the system works.

[ibthebigd]

Walsh seams to be doing a good job getting I-69 completed to Indianapolis

SM-G996U

[wriddle082]

Anybody has to be better than Blythe Construction, the Charlotte firm that gets most of the big contracts in the Carolinas.  They seem to completely botch anything they touch in SC, especially the I-85 widening fiasco that's still ongoing north of Spartanburg.

TIL that Atlanta-based Archer Western, another firm that gets large project contracts in the Carolinas (and messes them up), is a wholly owned subsidiary of Walsh.  Hopefully Walsh won't use any Archer Western resources on the Brent Spence project.

[edwaleni]

https://www.wlwt.com/article/brent-spence-companion-bridge-project-interstate/46245898

Proposed Brent Spence "split" announcement.

[KelleyCook]

So I actually like the local/express concept, however the Ohio side

uh....



https://youtu.be/Z8Y_XbIv_9c

[Buck87]

Estimated full completion of this project: 2031

[seicer]

So I actually like the local/express concept, however the Ohio side

uh....



https://youtu.be/Z8Y_XbIv_9c

I'm not a fan of the Ohio side. The city has pleaded with ODOT for as long as this proposal has been alive to narrow the footprint. There have been identified areas where the footprint could be substantially reduced and caps potentially installed (as a separate project). Given Queensgate East is one area that is prime for redevelopment, setting the stage for enhanced connectivity would be ideal.

[Plutonic Panda]

I don't see the problem with the proposal. It looks great.

[wriddle082]

I don't see the problem with the proposal. It looks great.

It looks like on the Ohio side, it will be taking up quite a bit of valuable real estate, and will initially work to further divide the area that I-75 bisects.  If they come back and cover it up later, these issues will be somewhat mitigated.

One thing is for certain: the construction phase will be pure hell.  They need to emphasize using all of 275 as alternate routes for all non-Cincinnati-bound traffic, regardless of how far out of the way it can be.  A few days ago, Control City Freak released a YouTube video about I-275, and pointed out that much of it has no control cities.  In Kentucky, at the 71/75/275 stack, they should bite the bullet and sign the 275 outer loop for Columbus and Dayton, and the inner loop for Indianapolis.  And make similar signage at the 71 and 75 interchanges with 275 in Ohio, with Louisville and Lexington as the control cities for the inner loop, and I think they already have Indianapolis signed for the outer loop due to its brief duplex with 74.  Either way, get as much traffic out of that work zone as humanly possible.

[seicer]

Correct - I haven't had much of an issue with the Interstate 75 reconstruction and widening north of the bridge mainly because it utilizes the existing right-of-way. It would be nice to correct decades of wrong when the city and state divided and destroyed the Kenyon-Barr neighborhood (then home to nearly 26,000 people) for an expressway and commercial/industrial park, but that time is long gone. How we can mitigate the effects of the highway is more important as the highway isn't going away.

[GCrites]

I don't see the problem with the proposal. It looks great.

It looks like on the Ohio side, it will be taking up quite a bit of valuable real estate, and will initially work to further divide the area that I-75 bisects.  If they come back and cover it up later, these issues will be somewhat mitigated.

One thing is for certain: the construction phase will be pure hell.  They need to emphasize using all of 275 as alternate routes for all non-Cincinnati-bound traffic, regardless of how far out of the way it can be.  A few days ago, Control City Freak released a YouTube video about I-275, and pointed out that much of it has no control cities.  In Kentucky, at the 71/75/275 stack, they should bite the bullet and sign the 275 outer loop for Columbus and Dayton, and the inner loop for Indianapolis.  And make similar signage at the 71 and 75 interchanges with 275 in Ohio, with Louisville and Lexington as the control cities for the inner loop, and I think they already have Indianapolis signed for the outer loop due to its brief duplex with 74.  Either way, get as much traffic out of that work zone as humanly possible.

Oh I never thought about the fact that 275 doesn't have control cities. That's not helping Cincinnati's inward-facing reputation at all.