Is big problem looming for I-75 fix?

A big problem could be looming for the massive overhaul of Interstate 75 through Hamilton County.

So far, the big fix appears to be moving along well – and a major part of it could even end up $200 million under budget. But a system of rebuilt interchanges and several miles of new lanes along the nation's busiest freight corridor will not fully work without a new Brent Spence Bridge.

The I-75 plan calls for increasing the highway to have at least five lanes running each direction through most of Greater Cincinnati. But if the Brent Spence Bridge replacement and corridor overhaul do not get done, the new lanes on other parts of the highway may only allow motorists to arrive at the bottleneck sooner.

Kentucky owns the bridge, however, and by calling the shots on the Brent Spence project, it also effectively controls whether Ohio's $2 billion, 17-mile fix of I-75 will work as planned.

Given the views of Kentucky's gubernatorial candidates and opposition among the state's lawmakers to potential tolls on a replacement bridge, making I-75 work properly seems like a pipe dream. But Kentucky's economy relies heavily on the business of logistics and supply chain – and the Brent Spence bottleneck, for example, can slow trucks delivering supplies from Michigan to Toyota's plant in Georgetown.

"It's also our problem," said Kentucky state Rep. Arnold Simpson, D-Covington. "We're two states, but one region and you can't dismiss the impact of inaction in Kentucky and its ramifications in Ohio. I'm very concerned about the impact on the I-75 and I-71 corridors in Ohio."

Ohio is spending nearly $3 billion to rebuild I-75 through Cincinnati, Dayton and Toledo. Here, the state is approaching its first major milestone on the overhaul in Greater Cincinnati, with the expected completion this summer of a new, $54 million Mitchell Avenue interchange.

The state is remaking I-75 from the Ohio River in Downtown to I-275 in Sharonville. The rebuilt highway is designed to alleviate congestion, make travel safer and help commuters, trucks and out-of-town motorists move through the region faster.

"You may think, 'Oh, that's just my local bridge and it doesn't really affect the entire Greater Cincinnati area and other places,' " said Brian Pallasch, a managing director for the American Society of Civil Engineers."But we've got a series of interstates across the nation, and one bridge somewhere or one interchange somewhere could have an impact hundreds of miles away."

Brinkman on Brent Spence: 'May be back to square one'

Parts of the I-75 overhaul through Hamilton County remain unscheduled, so business leaders lobbying to build a new Brent Spence Bridge could have time. But they may need years before there's a breakthrough.

The Brent Spence Bridge project has been stuck in neutral for 14 years, and more than $100 million has been spent on plans. Now, the project could be in limbo.

"We may be back to square one," said Ohio state Rep. Tom Brinkman, R-Mount Lookout.

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will be term-limited out of office at year's end. He has been one of the project's biggest champions, joining forces with Ohio Gov. John Kasich to promote using tolls to pay for a new bridge.

Both of Kentucky's gubernatorial candidates say they oppose using tolls to pay for the $2.6 billion project. Northern Kentucky lawmakers have blocked multiple attempts to use tolls the past two legislative sessions. And in Washington, Congress continues to drag its feet on funding. Lawmakers recently delayed replenishing the Highway Trust Fund for another two months.

Meanwhile, the condition of the 51-year-old Brent Spence Bridge continues to deteriorate. It carries double the number of vehicles the bridge was intended to carry. It's too late to start the project all over, Simpson said.

"The two states need to come together and do some soul-searching," said Simpson, who opposes tolls. "We can't wait until the last minute to address it."

Ohio and Kentucky are nearly splitting the cost of the bridge project, and most leaders in both states agree a new bridge is needed. They just can't agree on how to pay for the project.

It's not uncommon for states to butt heads on massive transportation projects, said Robert Puentes, director of the Brookings Institution's metropolitan infrastructure program. Twenty of the 50 largest metropolitan regions in the U.S. cross state lines, according to Brookings research.

Washington and Oregon worked for years to try to build a new I-5 bridge, part of the West Coast's main highway corridor. But the project was called off two years ago, because the states butted heads over the multibillion-dollar price tag and whether the bridge should include passenger rail.

New York and New Jersey spent 20 years planning a Hudson River rail tunnel with the idea to alleviate congestion into Manhattan. But New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie feared massive cost overruns, and he pulled the plug in 2010 on his state's money for the $8.7 billion project.

New lanes could help reduce I-75 congestion

The I-75 work in Hamilton County is divided into three major projects. The Mitchell Avenue interchange is part of the $824 million Mill Creek Expressway, which stretches between the Western Hills Viaduct and Ronald Reagan Cross County Highway.

I-75 through most of Greater Cincinnati will have five lanes when the project is done. A completion date has not been set, and the state does not plan to wait until the entire corridor is finished to start using the new lanes.

The additional lanes could be used as a testing ground for high occupancy vehicle (HOV) or bus-only lanes, state officials said. Vehicles with two or more passengers are permitted to use HOV lanes to zip past traffic jams.

The state could begin rolling out some of those options on the new I-75 lanes later this year.

"Those incremental projects are all still improvements to the corridor," said Stefan Spinosa, a lead engineer on the I-75 work for the Ohio Department of Transportation. "But they will work best when everything is connected together."

Overhaul could end up $217 million under budget

The state so far has spent $217.3 million on the Mill Creek Expressway, according to documents obtained by The Enquirer through a public records request. The project currently is $2.4 million over budget, or 1.1 percent. The state typically accounts for cost overruns up to 3 percent on highway projects.

Overall, though, the Mill Creek Expressway is projected to cost $607 million – or $217 million under budget, according to an Enquirer analysis of state records. Contractors have been able to save money on materials and have found ways to cut back on the original plan, state officials said.

Millions in cost overruns are common on massive interstate rebuilds. But if the state's projections are correct, the extra money could be shifted to help move up the schedule on either the Brent Spence Bridge or the Thru the Valley projects, both currently unfunded.

The $467 million Thru the Valley – covering the highway stretch from the Cross County to I-275 – is tentatively scheduled to start in the mid-2020s. The Brent Spence Bridge plan calls for a new bridge and remaking eight miles of the interstate in Ohio and Kentucky.

State transportation officials had targeted 2022 for finishing the bridge, but the uncertainty about funding makes the project's schedule unknown.

"Eventually," Spinosa said, "we have to get there."