FRANKFORT, Ky. — The start of the enormous Brent Spence Bridge redevelopment project is just a phone call away, according to Kentucky governor Andy Beshear.
"We think we're going to hear from the federal government on our two grants by the end of the year, so to say we're on pins and needles would be an understatement," Gov. Beshear said in a wide-ranging interview with WCPO 9 News on Monday.
Beshear, a Democrat, joined forces with his Republican Ohio counterpart, Mike DeWine, to request $1.66 billionin federal grant money to help pay for the long-discussed project. Redesigning the approaches to the current bridge and building a new companion bridge is expected to cost $2.8 billion - breaking down to $1.48 billion for Ohio and $1.31 billion for Kentucky.
"Kentucky has already put up $250 million, we've budgeted for it, it is sitting right there ready to go," he said. "And if we get a phone call that says that we won those grant making processes, it's on."
The grant money would come from components of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Kentucky lawmakers and Gov. Beshear have included the state match required in the most recent budget. Ohio is using a combination of general program funds, bonds, and other money to pay its part of the project.
"I've said to this President, 'you have a chance to be the one that makes it happen,'" Beshear said. "The dollars are there in that bipartisan infrastructure act. If we receive the grants we applied for, it is actually happening and it is happening without tolls."
The topic of using tolls to pay for a replacement or companion bridge was controversial for years, as various administrations on both sides of the river and in Washington promised to fix the corridor.
The bridge, built in 1963, carries roughly 3% of the nation's GDP each year. It is considered "functionally obsolete."
The new project wouldkeep local traffic on the existing bridge and the companion bridge would become an express path for highway traffic through the downtown Cincinnati and Covington corridor.
"Until I hear news that changes my mind, I feel very good about where we are and at very least we are closer than we were before," Beshear said.
His comments came ahead of several public information meetings about the project — including two in Cincinnati Tuesday and one on Wednesday in Covington.
Gov. Beshear also discussed jobs, the unemployment backlog, medical marijuana, education, and his campaign for re-election. He faces at least one Democratic challenger in the primary so far, Geoff Young.
