I-71/I-75 Brent Spence Bridge Replacement

[wriddle082]

Even though he wasn't the greatest politician, it would probably make the most sense to name it after Jim Bunning.  After all, he was a Red and he represented KY in the House and Senate.

[hotdogPi]

I have a little bridge
I named it after Clay
And when they reconstruct it
I'll drive on it all day

(Wikipedia doesn't have an article named Clay Bridge or Henry Clay Bridge. I don't know whether there is no bridge with that name or the bridge with that name is just not important enough for its own article. I don't recommend using clay as a material, though.)

Andy Beshear Bridge: has problems with shearing?

[tdindy88]

Well there is the Clay Wade Bailey Bridge that's just east of the Brent Spence Bridge.

[Flint1979]

The Clay Wade Bailey Bridge. that's the one that's been getting loaded with all the traffic since the Brent Spence Bridge has been closed. West of I-75 though there is no crossing other than a ferry crossing until you get to I-275. I wonder if the ferry has gotten any busier since the Brent Spence Bridge has been closed. it's used sometimes as a shortcut to get from Western Cincinnati to the airport in northern Kentucky.

[thenetwork]

Since there is so much controversy about replacing or twinning the bridge, maybe they should name it after Cincy's former mayor, Jerry Springer.

Yes, THAT Jerry Springer.

[hbelkins]

I have a little bridge
I named it after Clay
And when they reconstruct it
I'll drive on it all day

(Wikipedia doesn't have an article named Clay Bridge or Henry Clay Bridge. I don't know whether there is no bridge with that name or the bridge with that name is just not important enough for its own article. I don't recommend using clay as a material, though.)

I'm unaware of any bridge or highway named after Henry Clay. I would name the Clays Ferry Bridge on I-75 after both Henry Clay and Cassius Clay. Henry was from Lexington, and Cassius' estate was at White Hall in Madison County. The Clays Ferry Bridge connects both of their home counties.

Andy Beshear Bridge: has problems with shearing?

His dad, former Gov. Steve Beshear, is from Dawson Springs. Unfortunately, the parkways in that area are already named after former governors (Ford and Breathitt) so Andy can't rename one of them for his dad. Of course, he could do like Paul Patton did to Daniel Boone, and rename the Audubon Parkway after Steve Beshear.

[cwf1701]

How about the Woody Hayes Bridge (named for the greatest Ohio State coach)?

[I-39]

What a freaking joke this is. Just went by this today and the repairs are causing huge traffic backups.

Is it gonna take another I-35W style situation to get funding to replace the bridge?

[seicer]

What joke? That the work is proceeding as quick as humanly possible? That they had to inspect the bridge, remove the damaged sections, order steel, install it, and pour concrete?

It's not being replaced any time soon. It was never planned to be replaced. It's in good structural condition and will remain functional for many more decades. The Brent Spence Bridge project was to evaluate the need for a second, supplemental crossing. That's it.

[Flint1979]

Even though he wasn't the greatest politician, it would probably make the most sense to name it after Jim Bunning.  After all, he was a Red and he represented KY in the House and Senate.

When was Jim Bunning ever a Red? He played for the Tigers, Phillies (twice), Pirates and Dodgers.

[Flint1979]

What a freaking joke this is. Just went by this today and the repairs are causing huge traffic backups.

Is it gonna take another I-35W style situation to get funding to replace the bridge?

No kidding the Brent Spence Bridge being closed is causing huge traffic backups. What do you expect? Cincinnati traffic is no joke. They are working on the bridge and trying to finish it as quickly as possible. The Brent Spence Bridge isn't going to be replaced anytime soon and even when the bridge is open the traffic is still a problem.

[Flint1979]

What joke? That the work is proceeding as quick as humanly possible? That they had to inspect the bridge, remove the damaged sections, order steel, install it, and pour concrete?

It's not being replaced any time soon. It was never planned to be replaced. It's in good structural condition and will remain functional for many more decades. The Brent Spence Bridge project was to evaluate the need for a second, supplemental crossing. That's it.

Which is needed. The Brent Spence Bridge is over capacity as it is now so that would call for a second span being needed. It was really obsolete when they added the extra lane to both decks of the bridge without widening anything which couldn't be done on a bridge anyway unless the bridge was replaced. It's my single most hated stretch of I-75.

[Rothman]

What joke? That the work is proceeding as quick as humanly possible? That they had to inspect the bridge, remove the damaged sections, order steel, install it, and pour concrete?

It's not being replaced any time soon. It was never planned to be replaced. It's in good structural condition and will remain functional for many more decades. The Brent Spence Bridge project was to evaluate the need for a second, supplemental crossing. That's it.

Which is needed. The Brent Spence Bridge is over capacity as it is now so that would call for a second span being needed. It was really obsolete when they added the extra lane to both decks of the bridge without widening anything which couldn't be done on a bridge anyway unless the bridge was replaced. It's my single most hated stretch of I-75.

No kidding.  Scariest jam I ever encountered was on I-275.  Came around the bend to a wall of stopped traffic.  Have no idea how there wasn't at least some slowdown prior to it.

[Flint1979]

What joke? That the work is proceeding as quick as humanly possible? That they had to inspect the bridge, remove the damaged sections, order steel, install it, and pour concrete?

It's not being replaced any time soon. It was never planned to be replaced. It's in good structural condition and will remain functional for many more decades. The Brent Spence Bridge project was to evaluate the need for a second, supplemental crossing. That's it.

Which is needed. The Brent Spence Bridge is over capacity as it is now so that would call for a second span being needed. It was really obsolete when they added the extra lane to both decks of the bridge without widening anything which couldn't be done on a bridge anyway unless the bridge was replaced. It's my single most hated stretch of I-75.

No kidding.  Scariest jam I ever encountered was on I-275.  Came around the bend to a wall of stopped traffic.  Have no idea how there wasn't at least some slowdown prior to it.

The worst is coming down the hill around the curve on the Kentucky side going Ohio bound. Going Kentucky bound, that curve by Western and Gest is bad but the interchange with I-71 is a joke as well. The Interstate highway system clearly wasn't for Cincinnati, it's a bad setup.

[Flint1979]

I guess it should be asked but why was I-275 built as far west as it was? Back when the highway was built you can't possibly tell me that it was impossible to route the highway south at it's eastern interchange with I-74 and cross the river and connect to the southern side of I-275 near the airport.

I have always wondered why it goes into Indiana

[SkyPesos]

I guess it should be asked but why was I-275 built as far west as it was? Back when the highway was built you can't possibly tell me that it was impossible to route the highway south at it's eastern interchange with I-74 and cross the river and connect to the southern side of I-275 near the airport.

I have always wondered why it goes into Indiana

This is what I found about it on interstate guide; to include Lawrenceburg near the beltway:

The course of I-275 through Boone County, Kentucky was selected based upon a desire to include Indiana in the planning for a Greater Cincinnati circle freeway. The idea for a new bridge spanning the Ohio River from Boone County dated back to the early 1950s with support of Boone County Judge Carroll Cropper and U.S. Representative Earl Wilson of Indiana. A bill was introduced by Rep. Wilson in April 1956 for the establishment of the Lawrenceburg Bridge Company. It involved financing construction of a new span with a bond issue and paying bonds off with tolls. The bill passed, but with 1958 cost estimates of $10 million for the bridge, progress crawled.

[hbelkins]

The Brent Spence Bridge is in good condition structurally. I hear all these alarmist comments about it falling into the river, but that's not going to happen. It's functionally obsolete because it carries more traffic than it's meant to. It's not structurally deficient by any means.

Unless there's an event (a Reds game) I've never noted terrible traffic around the river. The worst problems I've encountered are just south of the Kentucky I-275 interchange, which are exacerbated by the weave required if you're going from eastbound 275 to southbound 71/75 because of the KY 236 exit; and north of the Norwood Lateral around Paddock Road. I got hung up in that going north years ago and swore never to drive through Cincinnati again during that time of day. I'll cross the river at Maysville and take US 68 and OH 73 through Wilmington before I'll deal with that mess around Paddock.

[Flint1979]

The Brent Spence Bridge is in good condition structurally. I hear all these alarmist comments about it falling into the river, but that's not going to happen. It's functionally obsolete because it carries more traffic than it's meant to. It's not structurally deficient by any means.

Unless there's an event (a Reds game) I've never noted terrible traffic around the river. The worst problems I've encountered are just south of the Kentucky I-275 interchange, which are exacerbated by the weave required if you're going from eastbound 275 to southbound 71/75 because of the KY 236 exit; and north of the Norwood Lateral around Paddock Road. I got hung up in that going north years ago and swore never to drive through Cincinnati again during that time of day. I'll cross the river at Maysville and take US 68 and OH 73 through Wilmington before I'll deal with that mess around Paddock.

I've experienced terrible traffic conditions on the Cincinnati side of the river even without a Bengals or Reds game going on. Every time I go down there it seems like it takes 20-30 minutes longer to get through Cincinnati than it should. I stopped in Wilmington when I was down there a couple weeks ago, seemed like a nice area and I remember some construction being done on the Hampton Inn there. Not a bad area and the traffic is light.

[seicer]

Having lived in Cincinnati, traffic on interstates is exaggerated by:
- A bypass that's too long. Unless it is utterly congested through Cincinnati, it's faster to just take Interstate 71 and 75 than Interstate 275.
- There are major industries and rail yards within the beltway that need to be served by trucks on both interstates. A beltway doesn't serve that.
- The population core is within the beltway. There is some population on the outskirts, but it's mostly concentrated either north of the beltway along Interstate 71 and 75, or OH Route 32.

[triplemultiplex]

It's my single most hated stretch of I-75.

<Atlanta is disappointed>

[Flint1979]

It's my single most hated stretch of I-75.

<Atlanta is disappointed>

Well they shouldn't be because the I-75/85 concurrency is my second most hated stretch of I-75.

[Flint1979]

I was just listening to WLW and heard the traffic jam of all traffic jams just reported. I-71/75 northbound is backed up from I-275 to the split in Walton.

[ilpt4u]

I was just listening to WLW and heard the traffic jam of all traffic jams just reported. I-71/75 northbound is backed up from I-275 to the split in Walton.

And the ramp from I-275 Inner/West and from I-275 Outer/East in KY to I-71/75 South is closed for a crash. Not good when those are the primary detour routes for the closed bridge

[Flint1979]

I was just listening to WLW and heard the traffic jam of all traffic jams just reported. I-71/75 northbound is backed up from I-275 to the split in Walton.

And the ramp from I-275 Inner/West and from I-275 Outer/East in KY to I-71/75 South is closed for a crash. Not good when those are the primary detour routes for the closed bridge

Not good at all. Right now all ramps going from I-275 to I-71/75 except for going to NB I-71/75 are closed. I've looked on Google Maps a few times since I heard it on WLW over an hour ago. That's about a 12 mile backup and it looks like Google Maps is routing everyone to go to KY-16 to get around it.

[Oldiesmann]

I work in Hebron (a couple miles west of the airport) and live in Cincinnati. At 9:15 they had the ramp from 275 east to 71/75 north blocked as well. I ended up detouring via Turkeyfoot to Dixie to Buttermilk. Things finally reopened about an hour ago.