Brent Spence Bridge Corridor August 30, 2024 eNewsletter

The transformational Brent Spence Bridge Corridor (BSBC) Project will greatly improve travel throughout Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. Along with it, small business owners in the region will have a great opportunity to grow their businesses or start something new.

In support of these efforts, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT), Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), and the Walsh Kokosing Design Build Team are hosting a Business Development Series throughout September to share information about what it takes to work on the project.

“It’s not just construction companies that have the opportunity to work on this project,” said Marvin Jackson, Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach manager for the Walsh Kokosing Design Build Team. “In addition to companies that move dirt, pour concrete and erect steel, the project will also need support from engineers, electricians, estimators, commercial printers, drone photographers, caterers, landscapers and dozens more.”



The education series will be held every Thursday in September, with different topics covered each week (see image). Two sessions will be held each Thursday, one in the morning in the project’s outreach office at Longworth Hall and one in the evening at the public library in Price Hill. In addition to hearing directly from the project’s leadership team, attendees will have opportunities to network with representatives of other businesses.

Click here to learn more and register for the event.

MAKE IT PLAIN CONSULTING, BSBC DIO CONSULTANT, SHARING OPPORTUNITIES WITH REGIONAL BUSINESSES

Make It Plain Consulting, the Diversity, Inclusion, and Outreach (DIO) consultant for the BSBC Project, has been hitting the road to share information about business opportunities and help businesses connect with potential partners. 

The Make It Plain team attended the 22nd Annual Lexington Bluegrass Area Minority Business EXPO Aug. 2, which brought together minority and women business owners to network, learn, and identify upcoming business opportunities. This year’s event drew more than 300 businesses from Kentucky, Ohio, West Virginia and Indiana.

The team also hosted a table at Fifth Third Bank’s 8th Annual Supplier Diversity Summit in Cincinnati on Aug. 6. The event connected diverse-owned businesses and suppliers from across the country with leaders from a number of companies. More than 200 people took part in the event, which included panel discussions, breakout sessions, a pitch competition and networking opportunities.

Make it Plain wants to make information accessible for businesses to learn about opportunities to get involved with the BSBC Project. Stay up to date on upcoming events and project opportunities on the project website and via social media. 

BUILDING FUTURES PROGRAM WORKING TO FILL CONSTRUCTION TRADES PIPELINE

More than 30 people are ready to join the ranks of the region’s construction trades thanks to an apprenticeship readiness program conducted by the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio. The program, Building Futures, is a 12-week class that prepares laborers for major regional projects such as the BSBC Project and enables participants to obtain living-wage jobs in the building and construction trades.

Educators awarded certificates of completion to 17 individuals last month, bringing the total number of graduates to 31 this year with two more sessions scheduled this calendar year. The Urban League conducts the first three weeks of the program, which focus on “soft skills,” such as financial literacy and interviewing techniques, said Dusty Bryant, program manager. The subsequent nine weeks consist of a curriculum developed and taught by building trade unions.

Deshaun Tillman celebrates completion of the Building Futures program with his son Legend, 5.

“We have tremendous relationships with not only our local building construction trades council, but the unions themselves,” Bryant said. “All 15 trade unions.”

Bryant said the program’s “field trips” enabled students to obtain a first-hand look at their future in the industry. “We got our feet and hands dirty,” Bryant explained, “and we got to see what a day in the life of a construction worker feels like.”

Bryant said wages earned by graduates of the program that are working in the field average between $24.50 and $36.50 per hour. “Building Futures changes the lives of our graduates and their families by offering economic self-reliance, which is the hallmark of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio’s mission.”

To learn more about Building Futures or to apply, visit https://www.ulgso.org/buildingfutures. Anyone meeting the minimum qualifications will have a one-on-one conversation with staff, Bryant said.

In addition to the Ohio Department of Transportation, program sponsors include the Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council, Hamilton County Office of County Commissioners, AFL-CIO and TradesFutures.

PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS VOLUNTEER AT GIRL SCOUTS "SHE BUILDS" CAMP

THROWBACK: BRENT SPENCE BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION IN 1962

This month's image takes us back to 1962, offering a view of the Brent Spence Bridge construction in progress. The photograph, dated Oct. 15, 1962, shows the erection of "false-works" – temporary structures used to support the permanent bridge and hold its components in place during the build.

The image, captured from the riverbank on the Kentucky shore and looking northwest toward Pier No. 3, provides a glimpse into the engineering and construction steps the team put into place more than a year before the bridge's completion in 1963. The photo was taken by Brand Studios.

Keep an eye on our newsletter and social media channels for more throwback images that chronicle the bridge's early days.

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.