Brent Spence accident rates, traffic counts climb as bridge in national spotlight

Think accidents and traffic are getting even worse on the Brent Spence Bridge?

You're right.

Data obtained by The Enquirer shows that the number of vehicles on the 53-year-old span is reaching record numbers as of late. And, on average, you can count on two crashes or more per week.

"I've been driving that bridge for 30 years, and seen it all," said Mike Dietz of Florence, who drives up to an hour each way to and from his job in Mason. "That bridge has always been a choke point, but now everything is catching up with it and making it even worse."

On top of the traffic issues, the most recent inspection reports show rust, cracks and decay worsening on the span that carries nearly 186,000 vehicles a day on Interstates 71 and 75 over the Ohio River between Covington and downtown Cincinnati. Indeed, the bridge hasn't been painted in more than 25 years, creating more rust issues in recent years.

"The bridge is still structurally sound and we are committed to keeping it that way," said Bob Yeager, chief engineer for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet's District Six, which oversees maintenance of the 53-year old bridge. "But you've got two interstates converging and diverging at one end and that creates issues and traffic patterns we just can't fix overnight.

"A better economy is worse for the bridge. It's only natural that the traffic would go up. Nothing is going to stop that unless the price of gas goes up to $10 a gallon. And the accident counts go hand in hand with that."

The Enquirer analysis of state and local data comes after a list initially reported to have come from the White House named the Brent Spence as the second-most urgent major infrastructure need in the country. Subsequent reports indicated that the list may have been supplied to the White House from the National Governor's Association as the White House disavowed the list as being official policy.

Apart from a vague reference to fixing the bridge during a campaign stop, neither President Trump nor the administration have made any more commitments to the project.

There is no long-term fix yet in sight, despite the fact that local business and officials have been pushing for a new bridge for nearly three decades.

Choke point getting worse?

When it opened in November 1963 with only three lanes, the Brent Spence was initially designed to handle 80,000 vehicles. When a fourth lane was added in 1985, capacity was raised to 120,000. 

The most recent data shows the Brent Spence's daily traffic reached 185,000-plus vehicles in 2015. That's nearing the all-time high reached in 2005 before the Great Recession caused a slowdown in commercial traffic.

In fact, traffic rose 15.5 percent between 2013-2015 and nearly 36 percent as compared to 2002. Trucks made up about 20 percent of all traffic in 2015, the data shows.

And with more congestion comes more crashes. 2015 also saw an all-time high in accidents at 121 - more than 2.3 per week on average. All told, accidents were up 52 percent between 2010-2015 compared with the previous six years. 

State highway officials say that's been caused by the combination of rising traffic as well as more distracted driving. 

"You can see how many people are driving by here on I-75 well above the 55 mph speed limit, looking at their phones," Yeager said, gesturing out his Fort Mitchell office window to the highway outside. "We need to continue to stress to people that the Brent Spence is not someplace to be checking your email." 

Megan Moore of Lawrenceburg, Ind. says she and her family moved out of Northern Kentucky because of issues created by the bridge. Her husband commutes to and from Wright Patterson Air Force Base outside Dayton and wanted to avoid the bridge traffic.

"I still drive it every day and can see people zipping in and out - it gets kinda crazy," said Moore, who still uses the bridge to pick up her kids from school in Boone County. "And now, it's jammed up even longer during the day each way." 

Not falling down, but not great either

As for the physical state of the bridge, the most recent inspection report from fall 2016 gave a sufficiency rating of 59, or the equivalent of a C-minus. That's the same grade the bridge received in 2014, but that 2014 rating was down from the 78 received in 2006 - the equivalent of a B-plus.

The most recent report also showed numerous examples of where rust had spread, existing cracks and holes had gotten bigger, and how concrete was decaying. In addition, the drain pipes on the bridge have completely disintegrated.

"We agree there is some spalling (concrete decay) and other issues that need to be taken care of," Yeager said. "And we are committed to make sure that happens."

Indeed, relief is on the way, at least for the longevity of the existing bridge. This year, Kentucky starts a $38 million maintenance project that will run over the next three summers to clean up many of those issues on the inspection reports. That includes resurfacing the decks on both the northbound and southbound lanes and fixing the drainpipes. The bridge also will be painted and rust will be fixed in the summer of 2019, Yeager said.

But previously, KYTC officials acknowledged they were waiting until a long-term fix was approved before fixing the ongoing maintenance issues.

That frustrates Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, who said state officials "intentionally refused to maintain the bridge."

This summer, Ohio is scheduled to complete a $9 million project to shore up its approaches and supports to the bridge, Ohio Department of Transportation officials said.

That comes after a piece of a ramp support fell and crushed the car of a Cincinnati Bengals fan while he was at a game in the fall of 2014.

A friend of that car owner was tailgating with him when that happened, and actually works at a business located underneath the south end of the bridge in Covington.

"Every day, we go out and pick up debris that flies off the bridge, whether it be metal from trucks or pieces of concrete," said Kevin Hitchcock, who also drives the bridge twice daily on his commute to and from Alexandria. "It's just a design nightmare no matter what you do about it."

Here's more about how we got here and the future of the bridge

Finding long-term fix

Area transportation officials say they haven't found a long-term solution to the safety and congestion issues, much less a fix over the next few years, even though the bridge has been in the spotlight for years. President Barack Obama even used it as a backdrop in 2011 in a  pitch to pass an economic stimulus package that would include more transportation dollars. U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio as well as Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley also used the bridge as a backdrop in a plea for more infrastructure spending earlier this week.

That's due in part to the ongoing dispute on how to pay for such a fix. An initial proposal to fix the existing bridge and build a new one along side sported a price tag of about $2 billion. The plan called for I-71 and local traffic to be routed on the refurbished Brent Spence, while building a new bridge to carry I-75.

That plan was agreed upon after Ohio and Kentucky combined to spend well over $100 million in planning costs.

But local and state leaders couldn't agree on a way to pay for it. That was especially so for Covington and Northern Kentucky political officials who consistently opposed any tolls to pay for the bridge as well as the design.

"That design plan quadruples the footprint in Covington, and I'm sorry, but we're not just going to sit back and 'take one for the team' as people have suggested to me," said Meyer, who beat the previous mayor last fall in part because of his anti-toll stance. "This would come as many major cities are making major efforts to reduce their interstate footprints.

"And it would permanently reduce access to Covington - you'd have to get in the correct lane back at the Museum Center."

So that left state and area planners back at square one. The head of the area agency that oversees federal transportation spending says that could be a positive, even though it had originally supported the original $2.5 billion plan that included tolls.

"Yes, the whole project is at a standstill, but we're looking at that as a positive and as a way to take a whole new fresh look, especially with a relatively new governor in place," said Mark Policinski, executive director of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments. "But this idea that there's a magic wand that can be waved over the next few months to fix the safety issues is just not right. We need to avoid making decisions in the short term that impede our ability to make the right decision in the long term."

Indeed, Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin also says he's against tolls for the Brent Spence, but asked for a look at all the suggested alternatives. That includes a possible new bypass along the eastern side of Northern Kentucky and Greater Cincinnati to alleviate congestion along the I-75 corridor and spur economic development.

Those costs would be much more than the original bridge estimate and would include a separate bridge. But supporters say the economic development spurred by such a project could help alleviate the costs.

"We understand that the eastern bypass concept gives people some pause because it involves new roads," said Marisa McNee, director of the anti-toll advocacy group NKY United. "But if you look at its reasoning, it really makes sense and would relieve pressure on the bridge. The current plan only shifts the congestion up the road to the I-275 interchange in Erlanger, which is already a mess."

As for funding, Bevin has suggested a funding mechanism known as GARVEE bonds, which involves borrowing against potential future federal gas taxes. 

During a campaign stop in Wilmington last year, now-President Donald Trump also vowed to find a way to pay for a permanent fix for the Brent Spence. He suggested withholding payments to the United Nations as a way to pay for domestic infrastructure projects, but also half-jokingly said he was open to holding rallies to decide on the popularity of individual projects.

"I think we just all want a resolution to this sooner or later," said commuter Hitchcock. "There is just not enough space on that bridge."

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What's on deck for bridge

This summer, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet starts a $38 million rehab project on the 53-year-old Brent Spence Bridge. While details haven't been finalized, the project will primarily take place at night to alleviate traffic issues but will include lane closings each year. 

Here's what on tap:

• The decking on both the northbound and southbound lanes will be resurfaced, one per summer. This won't mean full replacement, but some initial grinding will take place.
• Joints between the decks will be replaced and repaired.
• The drainage pipes that have completely rusted away will be replaced.
• Any major rust spots will be sanded and fixed.
• The bridge will be painted in the summer of 2019.