Federal Government approves environmental assessment for Brent Spence Bridge project

The Federal Highway Administration has completed its legally mandated environmental review of the Brent Spence Bridge Replacement Project, officially giving the project the green light to begin the final stages of design work and begin construction. The federal agency issued a finding of no significant impact.

“The administration’s determination of a “finding of no significant impact,” or FONSI, is based on an additional environmental assessment conducted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Ohio Department of Transportation,” according to a project news release. “The assessment assessed the social, economic and environmental effects of the project, as well as mitigation measures for unavoidable impacts. The decision is also based on the highway administration’s consideration of public and agency comments received during the public comment period.”

Large federally funded construction projects, such as the bridge, must undergo an assessment of how they will affect the local environment. The project underwent an initial review in 2012, which also concluded with a finding of no significant impact, but the project languished for about a decade due to a lack of funding.

In 2022, the federal government issued $1.6 billion for the project as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act – the total gross cost of the project is $3.6 billion. This triggered a review of the project’s environmental assessment to update the information in it.

Part of the review included a public comment period, which included several public openings where members of the local community could submit comments and ask questions.

“The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project is a testament to what can happen when we work together to get things done,” Gov. Andy Beshear said in the news release. “Federal approval is a major milestone for us, and we are grateful to all of our partners and communities for their feedback. We look forward to the completion of this project, which will further boost our economic growth and create more good jobs for our families.”

Read LINK nky’s reporting on how the project may affect the environment below.

View project documents, maps and calendars on its website.

In connection with