The Brent Spence Bridge
Published on Nov 18, 2015
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MORE DECKS TO EXPLORE
PRESENTATION OUTLINE
What's the Problem?
- There's more traffic than the bridge can handle ("Brent Spence Bridge")
- More than twice as many cars on the bridge each day than the bridge was designed to carry ("Brent Spence Bridge (I-71, I-75)")
- Tolling plan to pay for the bridge isn't likely to pass the Kentucky Senate (Cincinnati Business Courier Staff)
BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE
- Based on crash rates from 1995 to 2003, the U.S. Department of Transportation concluded that the Brent Spence Bridge was one of the nation's most "functionally deficient" bridges ("Brent Spence Bridge (I-71, I-75)")
- Crashes as minor as fender benders can back up traffic seven or more miles each direction (Pilcher)
EVEN MORE PROBLEMS
- Drivers are five times more likely to be involved in a crash on the Brent Spence Bridge than on the interstate systems of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana (Pilcher)
- If gridlock caused by the bridge isn't solved, drivers could see massively increased travel times by 2040 (Morton)
CHECK OUT THESE CRASH RATE STATS (PILCHER)
STILL MORE PROBLEMS
- Two people died in crashes on the bridge between 2004 and 2011 ("Lippert Calls For Hearing")
- A new bridge would displace a power station, and both I-75 and I-71 would need to be realigned to cross the new bridge (Pilcher)
Police Release New Video of Crash on Brent Spence Bridge
Car Goes Off Top Deck of Brent Spence Bridge, Driver OK
YES, THERE ARE STILL MORE PROBLEMS
- According to the National Bridge Inventory, the Brent Spence Bridge is "functionally obsolete" ("Brent Spence Bridge Corridor")
- In an inspection report in 2006, the bridge received a score of 78/100, and last year it received a score of 59/100 ("Brent Spence Bridge Continues")
All of these problems affect everybody who travels on the Brent Spence Bridge
I feel strongly towards fixing this problem that is the Brent Spence Bridge because my dad crosses it each week when he drives to and from the airport. He doesn't like crossing it, but it's the only practical way to get to the airport. This is also a problem because drivers are almost forced to take it due to I-75 being on the bridge. This is why I care, now here is why you should care:
Picture this: It's spring break, and you are driving to South Carolina with your family. It's a Friday afternoon, and thousands of people are also using I-75 to travel South. As you are crossing the Brent Spence Bridge, you see brake lights up ahead. Your car comes to a stop. You are now stuck on the bridge with nowhere to go. Suddenly, the bridge collapses, taking you, your family and hundreds of other people with it.
If you don't want to end up in the situation from the last slide, then you will agree that the Brent Spence Bridge has many problems that need to be fixed.
ARE THERE ANY SOLUTIONS?
Untitled Slide
- Several solutions are being considered: building a new bridge 1,000 feet west of the existing bridge, building two new bridges (one on each side), simply tearing down the Brent Spence Bridge and building a double-decker replacement, and building one adjacent bridge to carry I-75 traffic while the existing bridge will carry I-71 and local traffic ("Brent Spence Bridge (I71, I-75)")
Untitled Slide
- In Kentucky, a bill was introduced to allow public-private partnerships to acquire more funding (Wetterich)
- A new bridge would have twice as many lanes, increasing safety ("Brent Spence Bridge Corridor")
Untitled Slide
- A new bridge will cost approximately $2.4 Billion ("Brent Spence Bridge (I-71, I-75)")
- Tolls on the bridge are being considered as possible sources of revenue (Pilcher, Pitman)
HERE IS A MAP THAT ILLUSTRATES SEVERAL POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS
Photo courtesy of TranSystems.com ("Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Design")
Untitled Slide
- The preferred solution is a new bridge 1,000 feet west of the existing bridge ("Brent Spence Bridge (I-71, I-75)")
- This solution would displace the former Harriet Beecher Stowe school and Longworth Hall ("Brent Spence Bridge (I-71, I-75)")
IF THE BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE PROBLEM IS NOT SOLVED, THERE COULD BE SEVERE CONSEQUENCES
Photo by Dani Bora
