By Mark Hansel
NKyTribune managing editor
A routine maintenance project on the Brent Spence Bridge is expected to create a significant inconvenience for motorists traveling the corridor in the next two months.
This detour map provides alternate routes for motorists. The most significant detour will be for motorists heading southbound on I-71 into Kentucky, who will be instructed to take 1-471 south to I-275 west to connect back with I-71/75 south (click to enlarge).
The project, which will begin June 23 (this Friday) at approximately 9 p.m., will include lane reductions, ramp closures and detours, most notably for motorists heading southbound into Kentucky on Interstate 71.
The Fort Washington Way Ramp onto I-71 will be closed for the duration of the 60-day project. Motorists will be instructed to take I-471 south into Kentucky, pick up I-275 westbound and reconnect with I-71/75 in Erlanger.
Kentucky Transportation Cabinet District 6 Chief Engineer Bob Yeager said the project will significantly impact travel on the bridge, and on the routes people will use to get around the work that is going on.
“The Bent Spence is a critical artery for the movement of people, goods and services, not just in our region, but throughout the country,” Yeager said. “If you think about where the I-71 and I-75 corridors go, you can see how much traffic has to go through there. With 180,000 people using this bridge on a daily basis we need to get the word out to everyone.”
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is managing the project, which is part of an ongoing program to maintain and improve the condition of the regional transportation network.
The project is part of routine maintenance.
The bridge is structurally sound and remains viable for long-term use. Discussions regarding construction of a new bridge, which would add capacity in the region are unrelated to this maintenance project, The existing bridge will continue to be operational regardless of whether or not a new bridge is built.
“We’re asking the public to partner with is during these two months to plan ahead and adjust their travel schedule if possible,” Yeager said. “Even a routine maintenance project, with the amount of traffic that we have would typically take around six months. Our plan is to get in and get out.”
Frequently asked questions about the Brent Spence Bridge maintenance project. Source: KYTC District 6 (click to enlarge).
The Transportation Cabinet has developed a website, brentspence2017.org where people can get up-to-date traffic information about what is happening and when. Motorists are encourage to check the site whenever they are planning to travel in the construction area. It will be maintained and updated as often as is necessary.
During peak travel times, backups could extend for 20 miles based on high traffic volume or accidents, so motorists are encouraged to check the website frequently and use alternate routes whenever possible.
Traditional detour signs and ARTIMIS boards will also be used to provide information and detour instructions to motorists entering the impacted area,
“It will be extremely important for anyone traveling from Northern Kentucky into Cincinnati or from Cincinnati into Northern Kentucky to plan their drive,” Yeager said. “This website has a wealth of information and will have information about the lanes where work is being performed and how the repairs are being accomplished. If you can avoid traveling across the bridge, you should do so – if you cannot, you should know what lane you should be in.”
The project will be done in three phases and at different point during the construction access to some areas will be limited to one lane. Lane changes in the construction zone will not be permitted.
Two lanes in each direction on the bridge will be closed for the duration of the project and several ramps that provide access to and from the bridge also will be affected.
The following ramp closures will be in place for the duration of the project:
Northbound Closure:
- I-71/75 entrance ramp from 4th Street in Covington
Southbound Closures:
- I-71/75 South ramp from I-71 South/US 50 West (via Ft. Washington Way)
- 3rd Street ramp to I-71/75 South in Cincinnati
- Exit ramp from I-71/75 South to Erlanger/KY 236
The 24-hour work schedule will minimize the duration of the project and is necessary because some of the work cannot take place overnight
It will be critical for motorists to know their lane when approaching the construction area. Lane closures will change during the different phases of the project and lane changes will not be permitted. Information on lane closures will be available at brentspence2017.org
“The crews are going to replace the concrete surface on the bridge, so it’s not something you can just do overnight,” Yeager said. “Obviously, if you’ve ever poured concrete before, you know it has to cure and settle a little bit and it has to be continuous. We have to close a lane to do that and in order to work on a lane, you have to close two lanes.”
Crews are also going to update lighting and repair some drains on the lower level. There will also be a small amount of steel work and other incidental general maintenance work.
KYTC provided a brief description of each phase, with a more detailed explanation available on the website.
Phase 1
Work will take place concurrently in southbound and northbound direction. Southbound I-71 will be detoured away from the Brent Spence Bridge, the primary alternate will lead traffic onto Southbound I-471 and around I-275 to rejoin with I-71/75 in the Erlanger area.
There will be two lanes on the right side of the bridge traveling south. Access to the Covington exits will be maintained in the right lane. The closure of the Fourth Street entrance ramp from Covington to I 71/75 northbound will allow for three lanes to cross bridge at that point. One of the lanes coming down northbound I 71/75, at the bottom of the cut-of-the hill, will be phased out, reducing traffic to two lanes at that point.
There will also be multiple exit ramps in Erlanger, at KY 236 that will be closed to facilitate the detour of traffic around the project.
This weekend there will be periods where traffic is reduced to one lane in each direction, to facilitate the setup of Phase I.
The exits to downtown Cincinnati will be maintained during this phase.
Phase II
Starting southbound, traffic will be split in the construction zone. The construction zone will be separated by barriers on each side that will prevent traffic from being able to change lanes. Southbound I-71 will also be detoured away from the Brent Spence Bridge.
Heading north, traffic is split around the construction zone and it will be critical for motorists to know which lane they need to be in, and get into that lane, because they will not be able to change lanes once in the construction area. The left lane will only carry I-75 northbound traffic and the right lane will be used for I-71 northbound traffic.
Phase III is similar to Phase I, with traffic on the opposite side of the bridge.
The project must be completed by Sept 1 and is expected to cost $10 million. Some ancillary work will take place after the scheduled maintenance is completed, but it will take place at night and is not expected to significantly impact traffic.
Contact Mark Hansel at mark.hansel@nkytrib.com
I have lived in the Erlanger, Florence and Independence areas for the last 40 years. There has been consistent construction on the highway or the bridge into Cincinnati. Now instead of a new bridge, we are being asked to deal with more construction while they continue to talk about it. This is going to be a nightmare and again, because issues such as this are not handled in the appropriate manner. I hope the concrete is thick enough and done right because when the cut in the hill was done, the concrete people messed up and it had to be redone causing an even longer delay in that project. Then the “S” curve. I think the people in Kentucky are fed up.
How does that affect the Erlanger exit tho, that makes no sense.