Statement from Cincinnati Chamber CEO and President of the Build Our New Bridge Now Coalition, Jill Meyer, on $1.6B in Grants Awarded to the Brent Spence Bridge Project
More than a decade ago Cincinnati’s business community put a stake in the ground, accelerating the efforts to “build our new bridge now.” With today’s announcement of $1.6 billion in grants awarded by the United States Department of Transportation, the long-anticipated time to fix the Brent Spence Bridge corridor is finally here.
We applaud President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, our bipartisan group of Senators in Ohio and Kentucky, and Governors DeWine and Beshear for working so hard for so long to ensure today’s grant award is possible.
From Senators Brown, McConnell, and Portman working with the White House to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to the cross-river cooperation of our two Governors, all the way to Covington Mayor Meyer and Cincinnati Mayor Pureval working to find the right bridge solution for their cities, it has taken leadership at every level of government to make this possible. Kentucky Secretary Jim Gray and Ohio Director Jack Marchbanks and their teams have worked tirelessly to develop this project and make sure the Brent Spence Bridge application rose to the top.
Today’s announcement is a celebration of all the hard work over the last two decades and a transition to the next phase – actually building the Brent Spence Bridge companion bridge and corridor solution.
At the Chamber, we remain committed to our partnership with ODOT, KYTC, Cincinnati, Covington, and all of the stakeholders to ensure we deliver this critical project for a growing Cincinnati region. The success of our regional and national economies depends on the Brent Spence Bridge solution, and in the coming years, we finally have an opportunity to deliver a generational project that will pay dividends for our community for decades to come.
Now, let’s build our new bridge!
