The Mac is Back | Drivers, businesses breathe sigh of relief as southbound lanes on Big Mac Bridge reopen

CINCINNATI — For the first time in 100 days, traffic on the Big Mac Bridge flows smoothly in both directions after crews lifted the southbound lane closures Sunday night.

In what the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has coined #TheMacisBack, more than 50,000 drivers now face an easier commute for the first time since a fire closed the lanes on Nov. 1.

With the reopening, businesses in Newport are hoping for a different type of traffic: foot traffic.

Watch how businesses are reacting to the bridge's re-opening:

Carabello Coffee in Newport posted on Facebook Sunday morning: “Welcome back, Ohio!”

“Like so many other NKY spots, it has negatively impacted our business and our employees’ commutes and we missed you!” the coffee shop wrote.

Chief Operating Officer Emily Shinkle said their regulars stopped showing up, and said it felt slightly similar to 2020, when there were questions about how long the business could be impacted.

Between January’s winter weather and the bridge closures, Shinkle said the leadership team was internally planning next steps, including cutting shifts. The plan was to monitor the construction’s progress in the next two weeks.

“The fact that it ended up being now is a huge blessing,” she said.

Winter is one of the best times for the business, and the re-opening may allow the quarter to still be a good one, she said.

“We can be now focusing on the future and planning for the rest of the year instead of reacting to sales going down. It’s like ‘you know what? I think we’re gonna be fine,’” Shinkle said.

The announcement from ODOT came just in time to support the thousands of drivers impacted by the bridge's closure, which lasted exactly 100 days after a playground fire spread to the structure.

Engineering consultant firm owner Casey Jones, who has been following the Big Mac bridge project closely on his YouTube channel, said that 100 days is a fast completion time for an infrastructure project of this size.

Crews “created the conditions so that they could place the concrete and not wait for warmer weather,” Jones stated, praising the contractors and supply chain managers for their speedy work.

Between obtaining materials for custom fabrication and working through cold temperatures, Jones said their work was “impressive.”

The only item for after-action review could be the amount of time it took to assess the damage and order the appropriate number of steel girders, he said.

“My thinking was, ‘You don’t have time for that.’ Just assume they’re all bad and act accordingly,” he said.

Jones noted that while the department kept everyone updated on the specific benchmarks for construction, a full range of possibilities for re-opening may have been beneficial for business owners affected by the closure.

“If you're a business owner in Newport that was impacted by this closure, it might not be a bad thing to know that, hey, business could be back to normal in mid-February,” he said.

ODOT District 8 Deputy Director Doug Gruver said Friday the department plans to conduct an after-action review of the estimated $10.5 million taxpayer-funded project, the cost of which is still being calculated. ODOT had previously said it plans to apply for federal reimbursement.

“Anytime we have to jump into action like this quickly, there's probably some best practices we’ll find,” Gruver said.

The one caveat to re-opening is near Cincinnati’s Pendleton neighborhood. The I-471 South entrance at Reading Road and Liberty Street remains closed.

The Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati is constructing new sewers and rehabbing existing ones in the area.

WCPO asked MSD when that entrance may reopen. In a statement, MSD said the work was expected to be completed by the original re-open date in early to mid-March.

"After discussions between the City of Cincinnati and the Ohio Department of Transportation, in coordination with MSD, the I-471 on-ramp will remain closed until the sewer construction is through the intersection. MSD is expediting its work so the ramp can open by March 1 or sooner," MSD said in part.

On Friday, ODOT District 8 spokesperson Kathleen Fuller said it will remain closed through the end of the month or early in March.