People Over Pavement
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) wants to add a second bridge and widen I-75 through the Greater Cincinnati Region, adding 8-10 lanes in some spaces.
A wider highway means: less accessibility, worse health outcomes from more pollution, and repeating the historic harms to our community.
Expanding the Brent Spence Corridor is a bad deal for Greater Cincinnati
Doubling down on car dependency • Disrespect to disadvantaged residents • Increased health hazards • 90+ acres of forest destroyed • Increased Interstate congestion
Construction on the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is slated to begin in the next year. The project - a massive highway expansion based on data that is over a decade old - will bring more lanes, more traffic, and tear down homes and businesses. That means increased air pollution, more negative health outcomes, and a worse quality of life for already marginalized communities. Greater Cincinnatians deserve a forward-thinking project that puts people over pavement, connects communities instead of dividing them, and reduces the harms already seen by our neighbors living by the interstate.
We want to bring people together from around the city, and especially those communities most affected, and say that we deserve a better solution to the Brent Spence Corridor! Today we are asking folks to sign up and become part of our campaign that puts People Over Pavement.
The "Brent Spence Corridor," an 8-mile stretch of Interstate running through our neighborhoods.
About the $3.6 Billion Brent Spence Corridor Project
Originally designed for ~80,000 cars a day, and now carrying nearly double that, the Brent Spence Bridge is considered “functionally obsolete” by the state DOTs. Despite being structurally sound, the current Interstate bridge has garnered a reputation for congestion and delays.
Included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was a $1.6 billion grant to construct a companion bridge next to the existing Brent Spence Bridge and expand the “Brent Spence Corridor,” an 8-mile stretch of interstate from Dixie Highway in Fort Mitchell to the Western Hills Viaduct, with state taxpayers on the hook for the remaining $2 billion.
As part of the expansion, 29+ homes and businesses will be destroyed, along with 90+ acres of forest and green space. Interstate-adjacent communities will see increased air-pollution and traffic on neighborhood streets.
Putting People Over Pavement
People Over Pavement is the belief that this money can be used for a better and higher purpose. We want to change the outcome of the Brent Spence Corridor Project to reduce added lanes and invest money into community needs and accessible transportation. The Federal government’s funding in this project is defined broadly enough to warrant different transportation solutions that would reduce congestion and invest less into car-centric infrastructure. We’ve spoken with community members, and here’s where they want the money to go:
Accessible public transit: Many places in Greater Cincinnati are not accessible by reliable public transit, forcing people to cars and driving the very congestion this project seeks to relieve. Expanding public transit is one way to reduce congestion while improving accessibility for those who need it most. Residents have expressed interest in expanding the streetcar to Northern Kentucky and the West End in Cincinnati to reduce the need for cars and provide residents with greater access to jobs, groceries, healthcare, and recreation.
Health and Safety: Even without expansion, residents in adjacent communities face worse health outcomes, increased stress, and unsafe streets. Any change to the interstate must first address the existing issues. Everybody deserves to live in a neighborhood with clean air, little to no noise pollution, and without fear of speeding cars. Mitigation might include: sound walls, investing in health/recreation facilities, and removing traffic from neighborhood streets.
Redressing Historic Harms: Original construction of the interstate destroyed and disconnected communities in Cincinnati and Covington, displacing over 30,000 people, mostly low-income and Black residents. Elected leaders at every level of government have acknowledged the harms caused by past highway construction, and still billions of dollars are being spent to rebuild the interstate without truly investing in community needs. Residents in these communities deserve a say in how that money is spent, and how to best address the harmful infrastructure running through their neighborhoods.
