Among the new president’s many pages of executive orders is a sweeping instruction to halt disbursement of all funds under the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure and Jobs Act. It’s unclear if the latter includes funding for the $3.6 billion Brent Spence companion bridge project.
“I think that we have to wait and see how the executive orders are implemented, and then what is the scope of the executive orders,” says Mark Policinski, CEO of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI). “There is some belief that the bridges and roads will be pretty much unaffected by this — the parts of the infrastructure bill that went to bridges and roads would be unaffected.”
However, he concedes, it is unclear. For now, he says it’s best to wait for clarification on the orders, and not rushing judgment.
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“I think the important thing that we’re remembering here at OKI is that the President has been here on at least two occasions to express his support for the Brent Spence Bridge project, and he has talked about its importance, not only on a regional basis, but a national basis, as far as its benefit to the economy,” he adds.
The federal Office of Management and Budget offered some clarity on Wednesday (in a document dated Tuesday). It wrote, “This pause only applies to funds supporting programs, projects, or activities that may be implicated by the policy established in Section 2 of the order. This interpretation is consistent with section 7’s heading (‘Terminating the Green New Deal’) and its reference to the ‘law and the policy outlined in section 2 of th[e] order.’ “
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) tells WVXU it has no reason to believe federal funding for the project is in jeopardy.
“All work is progressing as planned on this vital corridor project,” writes Press Secretary Matt Bruning, in a statement.
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The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) also expects the project will proceed.
“While Gov. Beshear does have serious concerns about the executive order, he is not concerned about the long-term availability of funds for the project. President Trump previously promised to build the companion bridge, and now he has the chance to keep his commitment,” says Crystal Staley, spokeswoman for Gov. Andy Beshear, in a statement to WVXU.
ODOT and KYTC have contracted with Walsh-Kokosing for the design phase of the project. Construction hasn’t yet started. The Brent Spence carries more than $1 billion in freight daily. The project is slated to receive $1.6 billion from the bipartisan Infrastructure Law.