Business and political leaders are expressing cautious optimism tonight about a new Brent Spence Bridge.We're told there is more recognition than ever about the damaging effects of gridlock and the pivotal moment that's upon us.President Biden will be in Cincinnati next Wednesday for a town hall on infrastructure. He might want to speak with Gene Kirchner, who just met with an IT business in Northern Kentucky."They had lost over a million dollars in productivity in the last year because of gridlock, because of the bridge," Kirchner said.That's just one company. Amazon is under construction until next year.Along with DHL, its future in the area means this region's global logistics hub is about to really start humming.The Northern Kentucky-Southwestern Ohio economic eco-system thrives on the notion that you can live on one side of the river and work on the other."Well, there are people who are choosing not to do that now because they don't want to deal with the gridlock," warned Kirchner.Northern Kentucky still doesn't want to deal with tolls to pay for a new bridge. When asked about funding last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, "All of those issues are decided in the state capital."When we asked Kentucky's Junior Senator Rand Paul in Erlanger Friday, he responded, "I try not to dictate whether we have tolls or not tolls. I tell people I'm agnostic, the community needs to decide that."But privately, elected officials have told business leaders if there's no local match there's no new bridge."I drive to Chicago today, it's $10 in tolls," explained Brent Cooper, head of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "If you've got an Illinois plate and we're not at least charging you $10 when you drive through our area, I think we're crazy. We should at least return the favor and charge them what they're billing us."The Chamber says it's not advocating for or against tolls. It just wants a solution before mid-term campaigning puts bipartisanship on the back burner.What's being drawn up as part of the infrastructure bill is a prioritizing of bridges, not by name but by age, traffic count, condition, gridlock and the spanning of two states.Any read between any lines screams Brent Spence. Leaders believe the stars have never been more aligned, but there's no deal yet and no funding solution worked out.
Business and political leaders are expressing cautious optimism tonight about a new Brent Spence Bridge.
We're told there is more recognition than ever about the damaging effects of gridlock and the pivotal moment that's upon us.
President Biden will be in Cincinnati next Wednesday for a town hall on infrastructure. He might want to speak with Gene Kirchner, who just met with an IT business in Northern Kentucky.
"They had lost over a million dollars in productivity in the last year because of gridlock, because of the bridge," Kirchner said.
That's just one company. Amazon is under construction until next year.
Along with DHL, its future in the area means this region's global logistics hub is about to really start humming.
The Northern Kentucky-Southwestern Ohio economic eco-system thrives on the notion that you can live on one side of the river and work on the other.
"Well, there are people who are choosing not to do that now because they don't want to deal with the gridlock," warned Kirchner.
Northern Kentucky still doesn't want to deal with tolls to pay for a new bridge. When asked about funding last week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters, "All of those issues are decided in the state capital."
When we asked Kentucky's Junior Senator Rand Paul in Erlanger Friday, he responded, "I try not to dictate whether we have tolls or not tolls. I tell people I'm agnostic, the community needs to decide that."
But privately, elected officials have told business leaders if there's no local match there's no new bridge.
"I drive to Chicago today, it's $10 in tolls," explained Brent Cooper, head of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce. "If you've got an Illinois plate and we're not at least charging you $10 when you drive through our area, I think we're crazy. We should at least return the favor and charge them what they're billing us."
The Chamber says it's not advocating for or against tolls. It just wants a solution before mid-term campaigning puts bipartisanship on the back burner.
What's being drawn up as part of the infrastructure bill is a prioritizing of bridges, not by name but by age, traffic count, condition, gridlock and the spanning of two states.
Any read between any lines screams Brent Spence. Leaders believe the stars have never been more aligned, but there's no deal yet and no funding solution worked out.
Source link
