Source: United States Senator for Ohio Rob Portman
December 29, 2022 | Press Releases
CINCINNATI, OH — Today, U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) applauded the announcement by the U.S. Department of Transportation that it awarded Ohio and Kentucky a $1.385 billion grant through the Bridge Investment Program, which was created by Portman’s bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The program is designed to provide funding for projects like the Brent Spence Bridge and other bridges across the country. Senator Portman served as the lead Republican negotiator on IIJA, which was signed into law November 2021. Senator Portman was pleased to write a letter of support for the Brent Spence Corridor grant application.
The bipartisan infrastructure law includes more than $33 billion in competitive grant funding, including $12.5 billion from Portman’s Bridge Investment Act, to help plan, replace, rehabilitate, protect, and preserve some of the nation’s largest bridges –with nearly $2.4 billion available in Fiscal Year 2022. The bipartisan infrastructure law also includes $5 billion for the brand new National Infrastructure Project Assistance program (AKA Mega) and $7.5 billion from the RAISE grant program, and $8 billion from the INFRA grant program. Taken together, these programs have unlocked an unprecedented amount of opportunity for Ohio and Kentucky to receive federal assistance in making the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project a reality.
“Today’s award announcement is a historic achievement for the region. Because of this funding, Ohio and Kentucky can now move forward with the rehabilitation of the Brent Spence Bridge and construction of a new companion bridge, which will ease traffic along the entire I-71/I-75 corridor,” said Senator Portman. “I commend the state officials and federal partners on both sides of the river that have come together to make this day a reality. Finding a solution to the Brent Spence Corridor has been a top priority of mine throughout my time in Congress. I am proud that my bipartisan infrastructure law has paved the way for this milestone.”
The Brent Spence Bridge, which was built in 1963 to handle 80,000 vehicles a day, is now used by double that amount—160,000 vehicles a day. It plays a key role in national commerce, with three percent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product crossing over it every year. Slowdowns caused by issues with the bridge negatively affect commerce flowing throughout the entire eastern United States, as I-75 runs through the corridor. The new companion bridge next to the existing bridge would add much-needed capacity by separating local and through traffic to ease the ongoing traffic backups. The project would also provide an opportunity to invest in local businesses and a growing workforce by improving safety and travel along this critical national corridor for commerce and freight.
When President Biden’s initial infrastructure plan proposed $40 billion for bridge investments, Portman was quick to support this topline figure in the bipartisan negotiations, as he knew this would help get the Corridor project finally across the finish line. In crafting the bipartisan framework, Portman made sure there were significant increases in funding for several competitive grant programs that help fund projects just like the corridor project.
Portman’s Bridge Investment Act establishes a competitive grant program to fund large bridge projects like Brent Spence, as well as smaller projects and planning projects for bridges. The program received $12.5 billion in appropriations in the IIJA. Portman also helped craft a $27.5 billion formula program, to provide a dedicated stream of funding for states to fund bridge rehabilitations and replacements. The Senator advocated for record funding levels for the popular Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program and RAISE grant program, which received $8 billion and $7.5 billion over 5 years respectively. He also supported the $5 billion appropriation of the brand new National Infrastructure Project Assistance (AKA Mega) grant program, which supports multi-modal, multi-jurisdictional projects, like the Brent Spence Corridor project.
This attention to detail paid off. This May, DeWine and Beshear submitted their first joint application for $1.66 billion for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project toward the INFRA and Mega grant programs. In September, the states applied for the first round of Bridge Investment Program funding. With this grant award, Ohio and Kentucky are now able to begin construction on the Corridor project, with official estimates of project completion by 2030.
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