option. Concept W also calls for returning the existing Brent Spence Bridge to the original design of three lanes in each direction, with the original wider shoulders. It was this plan that Kentucky and Ohio moved forward with in their application for federal funding. Approved and Funded Plan On December 29, 2022, a federal funding package of $1.6 billion received final approval. The plan calls for keeping the bridge and reconfiguring it for local traffic only. The plan includes building a new, yet to be named, accompanying bridge to be used as express path for highway traffic through the downtown Cincinnati and Covington corridor. Construction on the bridge is to begin in 2023 and is expected to take six years to complete. According to this timeline, the new bridge and reconfigured Brent Spence Bridge will open for traffic in 2029. See also List of crossings of the Ohio River Cut-in-the-Hill References External links Cincinnati Enquirer Special about the Brent Spence Bridge Brent Spence Bridge at Bridges & Tunnels Brent Spence Bridge at Cincinnati-Transit.net Brent Spence Bridge Corridor study (for bridge replacement/redevelopment) Brent Spence Bridge Bold design sought for Brent Spence Bridge replacement Bridges in Cincinnati Bridges over the Ohio River Interstate 75 Bridges completed in 1963 Road bridges in Kentucky Road bridges in Ohio Interstate 71 Bridges on the Interstate Highway System Cantilever bridges in the United States