Jan. 4 (UPI) — President Joe Biden will join a bipartisan contingent, including Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell at the foot of a massive bridge between Kentucky and Ohio, to tout the joint effort being made to improve the fading structure and build a companion bridge.
Biden departed for Covington, Ky., from Joint Base Andrews at 10 a.m. EST and was scheduled to arrive in Hebron, Ky., at 11:25 a.m. EST.
Biden will deliver remarks at noon about the federal government chipping in $1.6 billion to finally make upgrades to the bustling, but obsolete, Brent Spence Bridge, and build a second bridge to alleviate traffic.
Politicians have talked about upgrading the bridge which carries I-75 and I-71 traffic across the busy Ohio River to and from Cincinnati and Covington for more than two decades.
The bridge opened in 1963 and was designed to handle 80,000 vehicles per day but currently is carrying more than double that total. The new bridge will be built to the immediate west of the current structure to handle the interstate traffic while the old bridge will be rehabbed to handle local traffic.
Biden and McConnell, R-Ky., will be joined by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, D-Ky., and Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine.
“This project will not only ease the traffic nightmare that drivers have suffered through for years, but it will also help ensure that the movement of the supply chain doesn’t stall on this nationally significant corridor,” DeWine said in a statement.
“My administration vowed to press the federal government to fund this project, and we’re glad that they have recognized its significance. I’m grateful to the teams in both states who have worked so hard to make this project a reality.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a briefing Tuesday that Biden will also discuss “how his economic plan is rebuilding our infrastructure, creating good-paying jobs that don’t require a four-year degree, and revitalizing communities that are too often left behind.”
“Their visit will highlight the president’s historic record of achieving bipartisan results for the American people,” Jean-Pierre said. “Leaders across the administration will spend Wednesday highlighting the impact of the President’s economic agenda and work to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure.”
When asked about McConnell’s appearance at his visit, Biden suggested that it was natural for McConnell to be there representing Kentucky.
“We’ve been friends a long time,” Biden said. “Everybody is talking about how significant it is. It has nothing to do about our relationship. It’s a giant bridge, man. It’s a lot of money. It’s important.”