A two-day forum on how to proceed with the Ohio River Bridges Project will be held this week in Louisville. Bi-state bridges authority co-chair Kerry Stemler says more than 700 people are registered for the conference, including representatives from engineering and construction firms, government leaders and financial institutions."And start thinking about how we can deliver the most cost-effective project, knowing that a greater understanding of the six sections, industry input is valuable; to develop how we can do the project faster, better, cheaper," he said. The price tag for the project stands at $4.1 billion, but the governors of Kentucky and Indiana and Mayor Greg Fischer have proposed a scaled back plan they say would save $500 million. All three will speak at the forum, which begins Wednesday at the Kentucky International Convention Center.Participants are also likely to hear from people opposed to various elements of the project, including those who want it broken up into smaller parts, and those opposed to tolls as a way to pay for it.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.