FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Beginning March 1, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) managed a routine maintenance project to clean and paint the Brent Spence Bridge. The project, which required various lane closures on the bridge, as well as the closure of several ramps that provided access to the bridge, was finished ahead of the projected Nov. 15 completion date.

In addition to cleaning and painting, crews completed other routine maintenance tasks, including drainage work, signage repairs, and replacing the interstate emblems on the roadway surface.

This was a routine project that is part of the normal lifecycle of a major structure like the Brent Spence Bridge. Just as you have to perform regular maintenance on your personal property like your car and your home so it stays in good working order, regular maintenance has to be performed on public infrastructure to ensure it remains safe for long-term use.

No. The Brent Spence Bridge is a major thoroughfare for both local and national traffic, connecting two states that are critical to the movement of people, goods, and services. The bridge carries I-71 and I-75 traffic over the Ohio River and has four lanes of travel on each of the upper and lower decks. The bridge was designed to carry 80-100,000 vehicles per day; it currently carries twice that volume. The bridge is routinely inspected and is structurally sound. It cannot efficiently support the existing level of traffic without increasing travel times. Current plans call for a companion bridge to the west of the existing structure, but no funding for construction of a new structure has been secured.

There are multiple reasons why the bridge couldn't have been painted during the emergency repair project in late 2020, including:

1. Weather during the time of the emergency repair – both temperature and conditions weren't conducive to the maintenance work that was part of this project.

2. The goal of the emergency repair was to reopen the bridge as quickly and safely as possible. Crews were able to reopen the bridge in six weeks. The maintenance project took approximately nine months.

3. The scope of work for the emergency contract was put into place to inspect the bridge and perform the repairs necessary to bring the bridge back into full service. The emergency repair was an entirely different scope of work and an entirely different set of specialists needed to complete the project.

The bridge was first painted when it was opened in 1963 and was painted again in 1991. The average life expectancy of a paint job of this nature is about 20 years. KYTC was able to extend that life cycle by performing routine upkeep, but in 2021 it was time for a more comprehensive cleaning and painting of the entire structure.

Typically, a maintenance project of this size and scope would have significant impacts over at least two construction seasons. Recognizing the important connection the Brent Spence Bridge provides for many who travel to and through the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area, KYTC structured the contract with North Star Painting Company to ensure this maintenance work was completed as efficiently as possible. Working in two of the four lanes on both decks allowed reduced traffic to be maintained on the bridge as maintenance work progressed and the full movement of traffic was restored as quickly as possible.

It was inconvenient to have traffic impacts on two different crossings of the Ohio River at the same time, but work on both structures was completed as quickly and safely as possible. Work on the Brent Spence Bridge was delayed while work on the Combs-Hehl Bridge was taking place but could not be delayed any longer. The restoration project taking place on the Roebling is an emergency repair for an aging and historic structure and as such, was not able to be planned in advance of the emergency.

North Star Painting Company, an Ohio-based company, was awarded the contract as the low bidder at $35.8 million. The majority of the cost was in specialized equipment and personnel required to clean and paint the main span, as well as the Kentucky and Ohio approaches to the bridge. In addition, to maintain traffic across the bridge throughout the project, crews also needed to work carefully to keep debris out of the water and the roadway.

The Ohio River was open to traffic at all times during the project. A containment system was put in place to ensure that debris did not fall into the river throughout the course of the project.

Trucks were encouraged to use I-275 or I-471 to travel around the bridge rather than across it, which helped reduce traffic volume while work was happening and various lane closures were in place on the bridge.