Many Cincinnati drivers are going to experience a massive headache this summer.
According to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), the U.S. 50/3rd Street ramp off the Daniel Carter Beard I-471 bridge going northbound will be closed starting June 1.
ODOT says traffic will be detoured through I-71, State Route 562 and I-75.
The other main bridge connecting Northern Kentucky and Cincinnati, the Brent Spence Bridge, was closed in 2020 for about six weeks after two semi-trucks crashed, causing a chemical spill and massive fire. The closure caused major disruptions for commuters across the region until it reopened in November 2020.
Several lanes and ramps on the bridge, which the American Transportation Research Institute named the No. 2 bottleneck for freight trucks in the entire nation, were closed throughout the last eight months for routine maintenance.
Earlier this week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said they asked for $1.66 billion from the U.S. Department of Transportation, specifically targeting the Brent Spence Bridge corridor that spans the borders of the two states.
So, suffice it to say commuters are not going to be happy about the I-471 closure.
Officials say that the closure will be in place for 30 days and that the project is “scheduled to be completed in late summer.”
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