Brent Spence Toll Bridge? (Cincinnati, Mason: home, buy, costs)

[WILWRadio]

Has any independent think tank done a study outlining the impact the construction phase and later the tolling phase that this bridge will have on Covington? I'd like to see something like that and read it to get a better idea of what could happen.

[unusualfire]

Major major news. Not for the good either.

$37 million pulled from Brent Spence project funding

[kjbrill]

At least the KY House got it right - NO tolls on any new interstate bridge across the Ohio. Glad to see they voted to pull their state funding until this issue is resolved. Now let's see what the KY Senate does.

[WILWRadio]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

Major major news. Not for the good either.

$37 million pulled from Brent Spence project funding

Trust me, this is very good news. They have lots of time to find a better way to fund a new bridge. Perhaps doing a lot of bake sales?

While listening to WLW AM today there was a guest on about this very subject. He said that a study was done to see how many vehicles would avoid a toll bridge regardless of the cost. According to that study, 77,000 vehicles a day would exit before the bridge and use I 471 or Covington city streets. Do you know what that kind of traffic would do to Covington? It will kill the quality of life and wipe out a lot of businesses in the city.

All the companies and the people that want a toll bridge should start a Trust fund and then start saving their pennies and dollars and then deposit into the account. Perhaps in a few years they will have enough money to build the bridge.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by WILWRadio

Trust me, this is very good news. They have lots of time to find a better way to fund a new bridge. Perhaps doing a lot of bake sales?

Ha! I bet you could make about $300 / night on Fridays & Saturdays from 12am - 3am if you did a decent bake sale in one of the major bar districts. Let's say you do 5 major bar districts, net $1500 a night, it would take a while haha

[kjbrill]

This whole dscussion has far more reaching aspects then just crossing the Ohio River. Will the Federal Government continue to back the Interstate Highway Sytem or NOT? That system not only has to transverse large expanses of land, but obstacles including rivers. What is needed is a redication to the Interstate Highway Sysfem and it's VALUE to the US.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

This whole dscussion has far more reaching aspects then just crossing the Ohio River. Will the Federal Government continue to back the Interstate Highway Sytem or NOT?

Except that this particular discussion is about money coming from the Commonwealth, not the federal government.

The bottom line with the Brent Spence is that it's merely overcrowded. It's in no danger of falling into the river. Apparently Kentucky's legislature thinks there are better ways to spend $37 million at this point in time.

[WILWRadio]

^^^Apparently at least 100 million has already been spent on studies. With an estimated price tag over 2.3 to 3 billion for the actual construction, I can't even imagine that tolling the bridge with the number of vehicles that may travel over (based upon the study I saw on the bridge website) would even begin to create enough funds to pay it off in within a few years.

[unusualfire]

Pay it off? Are you kidding? Tolls are forever.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

Pay it off? Are you kidding? Tolls are forever.

They are, but they also pay to maintain the bridges, too, which need painting, striping, lighting, resurfacing, etc. etc. etc.