(WXIX/WKYT) – Interstate 75 North will be shut down at the end of the Brent Spence Bridge all weekend for the demolition of the Linn Street Bridge.
The replacement project needs to progress so the Brent Spence Bridge project can progress, according to the Ohio Department of Transportation. The closure runs from 11 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Monday.
Weekend timing unavoidable
Kathleen Fuller with the Ohio Department of Transportation said traffic will likely be bad downtown this weekend.
“We’re all kind of preparing for those backups,” Fuller said.
ODOT is shutting down a stretch of I-75 North, which means drivers could be redirected to I-71 North and the Norwood Lateral or into the city.
“When you’re coming off the bridge and you want to take 71, you can get off at Second Street and head into downtown if you’re headed to a Reds game,” Fuller said.
Two Reds games are scheduled this weekend.
“We did try to avoid the weekend homestand, but we could not,” Fuller said.
Fuller said the closure timing was necessary.
“We can’t shut down when people are commuting back and forth into work,” Fuller said.
More closures ahead
The northbound lane work will be followed by southbound lane work next weekend. The project is expected to take two more weeks to complete.
“Plan ahead, and allow that extra time. Let people know hey I’m on my way but it’s going to take me a little longer because I’m going to be stuck in traffic,” Fuller said.
Linn Street itself is closed in the immediate area of the bridge. When the project is done, the bridge will have two 10-foot lanes with sidewalks and bike lanes. ODOT will also improve some nearby pedestrian bridges.