Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project Update - Our Community Work Deepens

Brent Spence Bridge Corridor November 10, 2022 eNewsletter

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WORK DEEPENS FOR BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE CORRIDOR PROJECT

Diversity & Inclusion Committee Holds Inaugural Meeting

Deliberate, intentional, meaningful inclusion. That is the commitment the project team made to the partners who gathered for the inaugural meeting of the Diversity & Inclusion (D&I) Committee last week.

The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor (BSBC) project represents a historic federal investment in our region, and as such brings the opportunity for unprecedented participation by small, minority, and women-owned businesses who are certified as Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) firms in Ohio and Kentucky, as well as tremendous workforce development opportunities.

ODOT and KYTC created a Diversity & Inclusion Committee to help deliver strong involvement from partners through planned events and activities, and to support the inclusivity of the team’s outreach efforts. Tactics are being developed and implemented to ensure disadvantaged businesses and individuals interested in working on the project are informed about opportunities available and engaged in discussions with potential partners.

The committee held its first meeting on Nov. 7, at the Laborers’ International Union. ODOT Director Jack Marchbanks, KYTC Secretary Jim Gray, representatives from the project team, ODOT’s Division of Opportunity, Diversity, and Inclusion, and KYTC’s Office for Civil Rights and Small Business Development were present, along with several dozen committee members representing various organizations, including the public and private sectors, labor, and workforce development groups.

“Our discussion about the benefits of this project often focus on improving travel and easing congestion,” said ODOT Project Director Tommy Arnold. “But there’s so much more to it than that,” he continued. “The benefits of this project will be shared by our entire community – in large part because of the enormous workforce opportunities that exist. This committee will help us get there."

Committee members expressed appreciation to the project team for the opportunity to help shape workforce engagement priorities on the front end of the project, as the scope of work is being identified and developed. The committee will meet quarterly.

Neighborhood Outreach Meetings Kick Off Next Week

Starting next week, the project team will be out in the community attending various meetings in neighborhoods that are directly adjacent to the project corridor.

Project team members will give an update on project status, receive feedback from those in attendance, and share additional opportunities for engagement.

Additional meetings, as well as a formal public hearing, will be held in 2023.

Shared Community Priorities Continue to be Reflected in Project Decisions

In an earlier project update, we detailed some of the changes that have been made to the project based on feedback from several local partners. As conversations with key stakeholders have continued, the opportunity to further refine the project’s footprint have been identified.

After careful review, discussion, and technical evaluation of the recommendations received from the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, the project team made several additional changes to project plans, which will open up nearly 10 acres of additional land for local development.

These changes meet project goals and align with shared priorities to reconnect communities through multi-modal and pedestrian-friendly improvements and return public land for local use.