Bridges Authority Remains Dedicated To Two Bridges

The bi-state authority overseeing the Ohio River Bridges Project has reinforced its dedication to the project as it's planned.The authority clarified its position in a meeting Thursday by passing what it calls its strategic objectives. They outline that the Ohio River Bridges Project is two bridges and a reworked Spaghetti Junction. The body says it will not break the project into three separate pieces or consider eliminating parts of it.Authority member Joe Reagan says it's possible the authority has not made that clear."Our job is to make sure that we understand the facts, that we do the analysis. We've been doing that. What's been missing is a clear message to you and to others is that maybe we haven't done our job telling you we know where we're going and what we're going to do, and now we've done that," he says.The authority's actions come amid what some say is growing opposition to either the entire project or the tolls that may be required to finance it. Reagan says some of the opposition may stem from a misunderstanding of what the authority is doing and why. A financing plan for the 4.1 billion dollar project must be complete by the end of the year, and Reagan says the authority has been working on it all year.During the meeting, the body briefly discussed proposals to split the project into three separate pieces, but concluded that it isn't feasible. As in previous meetings, several members of the public spoke for and against the project, and the possibility of using tolls to pay for it.