COVINGTON — Kentucky will receive nearly $2 million Monday to study whether the Brent Spence Bridge should be replaced or rehabilitated.

        U.S. Rep. Ken Lucas, a Boone County Democrat representing Kentucky's 4th Congressional District, announced Thursday that $1.9 million will be allocated from the U.S. Department of Transportation to the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

        The study will be conducted later this year but the date has not been set, said Mark Pfeiffer, a spokesman for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

        “The purpose for the money is to study the feasibility of replacing the bridge at or near its existing location, or look to see if the existing bridge can be rehabilitated to provide additional service life or capacity,” Mr. Pfeiffer said.

        The bridge over the Ohio River between Cincinnati and Covington opened in the early 1960s. It was designed to carry about 75,000 vehicles a day, Mr. Lucas said.

        Today, the bridge carries close to 150,000 vehicles each day, he said.

        “Most estimates predict (the bridge) has a life span of only 12 years remaining,” Mr. Lucas said. “The Brent Spence Bridge isn't getting any younger, and, as our region continues to grow, the strain on the bridge will only increase.”

        The project will be a joint effort of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Ohio Department of Transportation, Mr. Pfeiffer said. Kentucky, however, will manage the project and let the contracts on the feasibility study.

        Mr. Lucas called the bridge “a vital commuter route for the Greater Cincinnati area.”

        He said the Ohio Department of Transportation estimates $24.5 billion in goods are shipped across the bridge annually.

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