Brent Spence Bridge Corridor September 30, 2024 eNewsletter

Working on large, federally funded projects requires firms to comply with processes and procedures that might be unfamiliar to some businesses. 



That’s why Walsh Kokosing, the prime contractor for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor (BSBC) Project, conducted a series of seminars in September to educate businesses on how they can prepare for the many opportunities the project will generate. 

Representatives from dozens of businesses attended the seminars, which were conducted each Thursday with one session in the morning at Longworth Hall and one in the evening at the Price Hill Branch Library.



Each week featured different topics:

• Sept. 5: Project Overview; Progressive Design Build and Schedule; and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise Participation, Governance and Certification.
• Sept.12: Estimating and Bidding; Cash Flow; and Bonding.
• Sept. 19: Contract Management; Workforce and Production; and Certified Payroll.
• Sept. 26: Meet the Walsh Kokosing Joint Venture/Bistate Management Team; Networking and Marketing; and Next Steps.

For more information on being a partner with Walsh Kokosing, visit https://walshkokosing.com/work-with-us

MAKING A DETAILED MAP OF THE BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE ... WITH LASERS

Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) surveyors used lasers to create a detailed model of the Brent Spence Bridge that engineers will use to design improvements for the 1,700-foot-long, double-deck structure.

Upgrading the bridge is one element of the estimated $3.6 billion BSBC Project, which includes construction of a companion bridge immediately to the west and improvements to related highways on both sides of the Ohio River.

Light Detection and Ranging, or LIDAR, is a remote sensing technology that uses lasers to measure distances and create 3D models. ODOT surveyors drove a vehicle equipped with a mobile mapping system (LiDAR and cameras) across the bridge in each lane and each direction, making millions of measurements each second to create the three-dimensional digital bridge model.

The laser scan of the bridge was conducted late at night to minimize the impact on traffic, which was stopped briefly.



Project officials said the high quality and comprehensive data generated by the laser scan eliminates the need for surveyors and engineers to make multiple trips to the bridge to collect additional measurements. 

EVENT AIMS TO CONNECT PRE-APPRENTICE STUDENTS WITH EMPLOYERS

Employers can meet with the newest individuals in the construction industry pipeline when Building Futures, an apprenticeship readiness program, conducts a career day for its students.

“The primary goal of our career day is to connect program participants with employers,” said Dusty Bryant, Building Futures program manager. “We believe this event will serve as a bridge, creating an opportunity for our pre-apprentices to establish intentional and meaningful connections for employment.”

Building Futures aims to increase the representation of women, historically underserved communities and returning citizens in the building and construction trades.

To attend the career day event, employers should send an email to buildingfutures@ulgso.org or call Bryant at 513.581.5548.

In addition to ODOT, Building Futures partners include the National Urban League, North America’s Building Trades Unions, Trades Futures, Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council, AFL-CIO, the Greater Cincinnati Occupational Health Center and the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners.

Date:

Wednesday, Oct. 23

Time: 

6 - 7:30 p.m.

Location:

Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio

3458 Reading Road

Cincinnati, Ohio 45229

TONY JAMES, IUOE LOCAL 18 TREASURER, SPEAKS ABOUT THE PROJECT

When it gets under way, the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project will represent a “very rare” opportunity to go from apprentice to journeyperson on the same project, according to the head of the local operating engineers union.  

THROWBACK: 1963 VIEW FROM COVINGTON LEVEE

Our September throwback takes us to May 14, 1963, capturing the progress taking place during construction of the Brent Spence Bridge, then known as the Cincinnati-Covington Bridge. This photograph, taken six months before the bridge's official opening, offers a glimpse into the final stages of a structure that would become a critical link in one of the nation's most vital transportation corridors, serving both freight and local travelers. The image, preserved in the archives of the City of Cincinnati's Division of Engineering, is accompanied by a caption that reads: "Looking northwest from a point upstream at the foot of the Covington levee.” The photo was taken by Brand Studios.

Stay tuned to our newsletter and social media channels for more throwback images and stories that highlight the various phases of the bridge's construction.

Stretching from the Western Hills Viaduct in Ohio to Dixie Highway in Kentucky, the estimated $3.6 billion project will be built without tolls and transform an eight-mile portion of the I-71/75 interstate corridor, including a companion bridge immediately to the west of the existing bridge. More information about the project is available at BrentSpenceBridgeCorridor.com. A video outlining last year’s progress can be viewed here.