Brent Spence Bridge project should halt for more environmental study, new coalition says

Brent Spence Bridge project

The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project should not move forward without updated environmental studies, according to nearly two dozen local environmental, faith and non-profit leaders.

By Green Umbrella,

Published January 31, 2022

Brent Spence Bridge project
Group 4328

Share

Follow

Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

Brent Spence Bridge project should halt for more environmental study, new coalition says

The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project should not move forward without updated environmental studies, according to nearly two dozen local environmental, faith and non-profit leaders.

In what could be the first organized opposition to the massive bridge improvement plan, the activists are asking federal highway officials to require Ohio and Kentucky to address what they consider “environmental justice concerns” about the project.

“We think there are some significant public health issues that are not being addressed here,” said Matt Butler, president of Devou Good Foundation and coordinator of the new Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development of Greater Cincinnati.

In a Jan. 25 letter, the coalition asked the Federal Highway Administration to:

  • Consider project designs that could lessen “negative impacts” to predominantly Black and low-income communities in the shadows of the planned work bridge and interstate work.
  • Evaluate whether tolls or what is called congestion pricing – tolls during rush hours – would divert enough traffic to eliminate the need for bridge expansion.
  • Analyze and mitigate air pollution that will be created by expanding the existing Brent Spence and adding a new companion bridge along its west side.

The agency on Tuesday confirmed that it received the coalition’s letter. “A response will be provided following review of the letter,” a spokesperson said.

‘We want better solutions for the residents’

Butler said Ryan A. Crane, a Cincinnati ear-nose-and-throat doctor, drafted the letter with input from Milwaukee environmental attorney Dennis Grzezinski.

Most of the other 20 coalition members represent communities or causes that will be impacted by the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. Among them are the Cincinnati Preservation Association, Price Hill Will and Tri-State Trails.

Matt Butler, president of Covington’s Devou Good Foundation, is coordinator of a new group calling for more study of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. Contributed

The group is not anti-progress, Butler said. “We want better solutions for the residents of this area.”

The bridge project – which secured $1.6 billion of its $3.6 billion price tag from federal government sources last year – is advancing with outdated environmental impact studies, the coalition said in its letter.

An earlier “Finding of No Significant Impact” from the Federal Highway Administration is due for re-evaluation this spring, the letter says. The agency first approved the impact study in 2012 and re-evaluated it twice after that, according to the project’s application for federal dollars. The next evaluation should look at air quality issues overlooked before, according to the coalition letter.

“The adverse impact of highway expansion on air quality for minority and low-income communities directly adjacent to the Brent Spence Corridor has not been addressed,” it reads.

The letter is the second bridge initiative of the new group. About six months ago, it launched an online petition calling on local elected leaders to “halt the expansion of the Brent Spence Corridor.”

“Rather than spending billions on an un-aesthetic, unnecessary highway … funding should be shifted to expanding transit options and multi-modal transportation projects,” according to the petition.

The petition had 555 signers as of Tuesday.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Choose the newsletters you want to get.

Green Umbrella members also have access to our members-only newsletters and e-blasts. Join today to receive these perks!