Brent Spence Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Brent Spence Bridge is a double decker cantilever
truss bridge
that carries Interstates 71
and 75
across the Ohio River
between Covington
, Kentucky
and Cincinnati
, Ohio
. The top deck carries southbound traffic while the bottom deck carries northbound traffic. It is arguably the most important transportation link in the Cincinnati region. The Brent Spence Bridge is one of the 15 major interstate bridges the federal government has labeled "functionally obsolete" and unsafe. Motorists are five times more likely to have an accident on the bridge than on other interstate roadways in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The American highway Users Alliance ranks it as one of the 24 worst highway bottlenecks in the United States.
A study is currently underway to investigate the replacement and/or rehabilitation of the bridge. One proposal is building a new bridge for I-75 downstream. Others include building a new bridge, either at the current location or downstream. If the current bridge is not rehabilitated for interstate traffic, it will either be demolished or rehabilitated for local street traffic.
Cincinnati City Council supports alternative #4, which involves building a new bridge to carry I-75 at the current location, and demolishing the Brent Spence Bridge. Alternative #4 would build a parallel bridge just west of the Brent Spence Bridge. It would again be a two deck bridge, except the top deck would carry all I-75 traffic and the bottom deck would carry south I-71 and local traffic. The I-75 deck would be a total of 6 lanes, with 3 lanes each for north and south traffic. The I-71 deck would be a total of 5 lanes, divided into 3 lanes for south local traffic, and 2 lanes of south 71 traffic. Additionally, Cincinnati City Council has expressed interest in using the bridge for a light rail
system that would connect downtown Cincinnati to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
.
, who served in the U.S. Congress for over thirty years before retiring in 1962. The bridge, which opened a year after his retirement, was named in his honor by then Kentucky governor Bert T. Combs
. Spence didn't feel that he deserved the honor, and lobbied for the Bridge to be named for President Kennedy (who had been assassinated only three days before the bridge was supposed to open). Combs, however, resisted this effort at modesty by Spence and kept the name. Also, at the same time, Combs did name the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
in Louisville, Kentucky
after the late president just days after Kennedy's assassination.
The approach from the Brent Spence Bridge, with the picture of the downtown Cincinnati skyline, was featured on the daytime soap The Edge of Night
from 1967 to 1980.
Cantilever
A cantilever is a beam anchored at only one end. The beam carries the load to the support where it is resisted by moment and shear stress. Cantilever construction allows for overhanging structures without external bracing. Cantilevers can also be constructed with trusses or slabs.This is in...
truss bridge
Truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge composed of connected elements which may be stressed from tension, compression, or sometimes both in response to dynamic loads. Truss bridges are one of the oldest types of modern bridges...
that carries Interstates 71
Interstate 71
Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland,...
and 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
across the Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
between Covington
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
and Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The top deck carries southbound traffic while the bottom deck carries northbound traffic. It is arguably the most important transportation link in the Cincinnati region. The Brent Spence Bridge is one of the 15 major interstate bridges the federal government has labeled "functionally obsolete" and unsafe. Motorists are five times more likely to have an accident on the bridge than on other interstate roadways in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. The American highway Users Alliance ranks it as one of the 24 worst highway bottlenecks in the United States.
Replacement
When the bridge opened in November 1963 it carried three lanes of traffic each way across the Ohio River. In 1986, the emergency shoulders were eliminated, and the bridge was restriped with four lanes in each direction. The bridge was designed to carry 85,000 vehicles per day, but in 2007 it carried 155,000 vehicles per day. It is expected to carry 200,000 vehicles per day by 2013. On June 21, 2011, the Brent Spence Bridge truly began to show its age and wear as chunks of concrete from the upper deck of the bridge fell onto the lower deck. Construction crews closed lanes on both decks of the bridge, causing traffic delays of two hours or more. All lanes of the bridge were reportedly re-opened by June 22, 2011, but local commuters were encouraged to eliminate the Brent Spence Bridge from their daily drive until at least July 1, 2011.A study is currently underway to investigate the replacement and/or rehabilitation of the bridge. One proposal is building a new bridge for I-75 downstream. Others include building a new bridge, either at the current location or downstream. If the current bridge is not rehabilitated for interstate traffic, it will either be demolished or rehabilitated for local street traffic.
Cincinnati City Council supports alternative #4, which involves building a new bridge to carry I-75 at the current location, and demolishing the Brent Spence Bridge. Alternative #4 would build a parallel bridge just west of the Brent Spence Bridge. It would again be a two deck bridge, except the top deck would carry all I-75 traffic and the bottom deck would carry south I-71 and local traffic. The I-75 deck would be a total of 6 lanes, with 3 lanes each for north and south traffic. The I-71 deck would be a total of 5 lanes, divided into 3 lanes for south local traffic, and 2 lanes of south 71 traffic. Additionally, Cincinnati City Council has expressed interest in using the bridge for a light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system that would connect downtown Cincinnati to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are...
.
History
The bridge was named for Kentucky's longest serving congressman at the time, Brent SpenceBrent Spence
right|300px|thumb|Group of legislators leaves [[White House]] after asking [[Franklin Roosevelt]] for $80,000,000 for flood control in [[Ohio Valley]], March 7, 1938. front: l-r [[Joseph A. Dixon]], [[James G. Polk]], [[Eugene B. Crowe]], [[George William Johnson |G W Johnson]], [[Lawrence E....
, who served in the U.S. Congress for over thirty years before retiring in 1962. The bridge, which opened a year after his retirement, was named in his honor by then Kentucky governor Bert T. Combs
Bert T. Combs
Bertram Thomas Combs was a jurist and politician from the US state of Kentucky. After serving on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, he was elected the 50th Governor of Kentucky in 1959 on his second run for the office. Following his gubernatorial term, he was appointed to the Sixth Circuit Court of...
. Spence didn't feel that he deserved the honor, and lobbied for the Bridge to be named for President Kennedy (who had been assassinated only three days before the bridge was supposed to open). Combs, however, resisted this effort at modesty by Spence and kept the name. Also, at the same time, Combs did name the John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge
The John F. Kennedy Memorial Bridge is a seven-lane, single-deck cantilever bridge that carries Interstate 65 across the Ohio River, connecting Louisville, Kentucky and Jeffersonville, Indiana. The main span is and the bridge has a total length of...
in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
after the late president just days after Kennedy's assassination.
The approach from the Brent Spence Bridge, with the picture of the downtown Cincinnati skyline, was featured on the daytime soap The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night
The Edge of Night is an American television mystery series/soap opera produced by Procter & Gamble. It debuted on CBS on April 2, 1956, and ran as a live broadcast on that network until November 28, 1975; the series then moved to ABC, where it aired from December 1, 1975, until December 28, 1984...
from 1967 to 1980.
See also
- List of crossings of the Ohio River
- Interstate 71Interstate 71Interstate 71 is an Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes/Midwestern and Southeastern region of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64 and Interstate 65 in Louisville, Kentucky. Its northern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 90 in Cleveland,...
- Interstate 75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
- Cut-in-the-HillCut-in-the-HillCut-in-the-Hill is a stretch of I-75 highway located in Covington, Kentucky between Buttermilk Pike and the Brent Spence Bridge near Cincinnati, Ohio. The hill is known for its large number of automobile accidents...
External links
- Cincinnati Enquirer Special about the Brent Spence Bridge
- Brent Spence Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels
- Brent Spence Bridge at Cincinnati-Transit.net
- Brent Spence Bridge Corridor study (for bridge replacement/redevelopment)
- Brent Spence Bridge