It now looks like tolls will be blocked by the Kentucky legislature. Time to start developing a new plan. Foisting the costs of the Brent Spence bridge project on the fewest number of voters possible, when you needed local Representatives to get on board, was a bad idea.

The project is 8 miles long. Why is only the bridge being tolled? Shouldn't driving anywhere on that stretch be tolled? The tolling base needs to be expanded to lower tolls and raise the bonds above junk bond grade.

Let me throw out an expanded idea for a Rapid Transit corridor. Split I-75 into local and through region corridors. The local corridor would start in Ohio, 5 miles before the bridge, cross the Brent Spence and dead end at Florence. ‎Tolls in this corridor would be low.

Through region traffic uses the new bridge, reduced to 6 lanes and a single deck to reduce costs. Two lanes each way carry through traffic and local commuters paying more to avoid traffic. One lane each way carries Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) adding a toll fee. Private commuter buses would split fares for tolls. Tolls in this Rapid Transit corridor ‎would be high.

This allows through traffic to avoid local congestion. It gives them the option of paying a high toll to travel straight through or a reduced toll for using I-275 and connecting to the corridor in Kentucky. Avoiding tolls is not an option.

Increase out of town revenue, spread the toll base to lower local tolls, reduce the projects cost, increase Federal funding with Mass Transit grants, and improved Transit generates revenue for the bridge instead of competing with it for revenue.

If this project is important, find a way to build a consensus.

Curt Parrott , Loveland

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