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Beshear Says Waiting To Replace Brent Spence Bridge Will Be Costly

Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear says it will cost taxpayers $7 million every month lawmakers do not take action to replace the Brent Spence Bridge connecting northern Kentucky with Cincinnati.

The 50-year old bridge has no emergency shoulder and now carries twice the amount of traffic it was built to handle. But the $2.6 billion project has languished for years because northern Kentucky state lawmakers have adamantly opposed using tolls to pay for the bridge.

But Beshear told the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce on Monday that waiting five years will cost the state an additional $400 million, using a 3 percent inflation figure from the Federal Highway Administration.

Beshear says he plans to meet with Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich in January to come up with a plan to pay for the bridge.

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