In another sign of progress for the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project, parts of Interstate 75 through Downtown will close over two mid-April weekends.
The back-to-back closures will allow work crews to demolish the Linn Street bridge over I-75, which will be remade as part of the $4 billion-plus road project.
The work also closed Linn, between West Eighth and West Court streets, on April 1 and will keep it closed through late 2027.
The new Linn Street bridge will better connect the neighborhoods of West End and Queensgate. It will also create space to build a new bridge to the immediate west of the Brent Spence, a key feature of the overall project.
Here’s what to expect as the long-promised Brent Spence plan moves closer to an official ground-breaking, with details provided by the Ohio Department of Transportation.
A part of Linn Street is now closed for demolition and rebuilding of the Linn Street Bridge.
54-hour I-75 interruptions
About a third of a mile of northbound I-75 will be closed for 54 hours from April 10-13. A little more than a half mile of southbound I-75 will be closed for the same amount of time April 17-20.
The northbound closure will run from U.S. 50 to the Freeman Avenue entrance ramp. It will begin at 11 p.m. on Friday, April 10, and end at 5 a.m. on Monday, April 13.
Southbound I-75 will be closed between the Freeman Avenue exit and 8th/9th street entrance. It will run from 11 p.m. on Friday, April 17, to 5 a.m. on Monday, April 20.
Interstate entrance ramps in those areas will also be closed.
The Western Avenue ramp to southbound I-75 will close permanently.
More: Ramping up: A million hours of design, a million to come for Brent Spence Bridge work
Detour signs, social media to alert drivers
The Linn Street bridge project will require closing a number of nearby streets and interstate ramps, some through mid-2029.
In addition to Freeman and Linn, impacted streets include Winchell Avenue and Ezzard Charles Drive along with Liberty, Gest, Court, Sixth, Eighth and Ninth streets.
Motorists should watch for detour signs throughout the area. They can also sign up for email and text alerts on the Brent Spence Bridge website and follow updates on the state’s Facebook page.
New bridge to include two lanes for vehicles, two for bikes
When complete, the new Linn Street bridge over I-75 will be reduced from five to two driving lanes, with a bike lane and sidewalk on each side. The project will also include minor reconfigurations of West Court and Winchell, with a pedestrian bridge over Winchell.
Great Lakes Construction Co. is completing the work under a $46.7 million contract. While the new bridge should be ready for traffic by late fall 2027, overall work is expected to continue through late spring 2029.
The Linn Street bridge work comes as the city plans its $32 million State-to-Central Complete Street project. That work – improve Linn along with State and West Eighth Avenues – is scheduled to start next spring.
Rising costs, razed buildings
The temporary I-75 closures and Linn Street bridge work come as the overall Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project comes to life after more than two decades of planning.
So far this year, transportation officials have announced:
Crews have also taken down two other structures, relocated utilities, removed trees and revealed a design – but not a name – for the new bridge in recent months.
A groundbreaking event to mark the official start of the project is likely later this spring, officials have said.
After that, barges and cranes will enter the Ohio River to begin installing the new bridge foundation.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: When will I-75 through Downtown Cincinnati close?
