Crews this week began one of the first visible steps along the Ohio River toward the Brent Spence companion bridge project. In the process, a famously long building got just a little shorter.
If you've crossed the river on the current Brent Spence Bridge this week, you've probably noticed Longworth Hall looks a little different. As in, it's not all there anymore.
Don't worry — the bulk of the historic building named for early, prominent Cincinnatian Nicholas Longworth isn't going away.
When the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad built Longworth Hall in 1904 to hold rail freight, it was said to be among the longest buildings in the world at 1,227 feet long. A nearly twin building in Baltimore is now part of the Orioles' Camden Yards.
About 210 feet of Cincinnati's building, most of it an addition built in the 1960s, has to come down to make way for the as-yet-unnamed companion for the Brent Spence. Ironically, that addition was built after Longworth was shortened the first time to make space for I-75.
Ohio Department of Transportation Press Secretary Matt Bruning says demolition of the addition should be done in a couple months. A longer process that involves carefully taking apart a small portion of the original building and using the bricks from it to rebuild Longworth's east-facing wall should be done by the end of 2027.
Leftover bricks and other original material will be saved for use in future maintenance and repair of the historic structure.
"The idea is that once all of this work is done, you'll drive by on I-75 and look over at Longworth Hall and it will look like it did in 1904 when it was finished," Bruning says. "Only it will be shorter."
Longworth will also get extensive masonry work and upgrades to its historic windows before ODOT turns it over to whomever ends up owning it next, Bruning says. ODOT currently owns the building but plans to put it up for sale once the bridge is built.
There will be other signs of life for the long-awaited Brent Spence project. That project is expected to cost almost $4.4 billion — up from the $3.6 billion price tag estimated last year, prior to the final bridge design selection.
Bruning says an official groundbreaking will take place on a yet-to-be decided date this spring.
"The first thing you'll see is they'll start working in the river, and then obviously working on the approaches," he says. "You'll see earth moving and things happening a lot more visibly as we start getting into the summer."
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