Gov. John Kasich and Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear will meet in Covington, Kentucky, today to sign an agreement on how the $2.5 billion will be raised to replace the Brent Spence Bridge, Cincinnati Enquirer reports. The decision will be based on a $4 million study that many expect will “conclude that tolls will need to be the centerpiece of a finance plan,” the article said. Since Kentucky owns the bridge, the final decision rests with the Kentucky Legislature; however, Northern Kentucky state lawmakers “collectively oppose tolling and any legislation that could open the door to tolls,” the article said.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood will also be in attendance, along with other state and local officials, Business Courier reports. According to the Build Our New Bridge Now Coalition, a group organizing an educational campaign to accelerate the construction of a Brent Spence Bridge replacement, the “region could save $18 billion in fuel and congestion costs if the Brent Spence Bridge replacement project starts in 2014,” the article said.
For more, read the Cincinnati Enquirer story or the Business Courier story.
