Want to help build Greater Cincinnati’s next bridge? The Brent Spence Bridge project is hiring.
On July 10, managers of the $3.6 billion bridge project will kick off the first of six “careers in construction” sessions to drive interest. It’s set for the Avondale Library, 3566 Reading Road, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
“Stop by a local library branch in Cincinnati to meet the project team and discover how you can be part of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, one of the biggest transportation projects in the country,” a flyer for the library recruiting program says. “No experience needed. Just bring your interest and questions.”
About 700 laborers will be needed overall, according to Matt Bruning, spokesperson for the Ohio Department of Transportation. Applicants without construction skills could be offered jobs as general laborers, traffic flaggers or in logistics support.
“This is going to be a transformative all-hands-on-deck effort,” Bruning said.
Planned for more than two decades, the project will turn the Brent Spence into a local-only bridge, add a new bridge to the immediate west for interstate travel and improve about 8 miles of Interstate 71/75. Preliminary work is underway, with groundbreaking anticipated later this year or early in 2026.
Construction salaries listed at $45K and up
As the Brent Spence team starts recruiting at libraries, state transportation officials are also using the bridge website to attract applicants.
Workers on the project “will begin a remarkable journey toward personal growth … potentially gaining nearly a decade of significant work experience and earning roles of increasing responsibility along the way,” the bridge site’s Explore Construction Careers page says. “By the project’s completion, you will hold an impressive resume and be ready for a wealth of new opportunities.”
Construction workers, based on U.S. Department of Labor medians, earn about $45,000 a year, with equipment managers at $55,000 and construction supervisors at $80,000, the website says.
The project will require about 7 million hours of work, Bruning said. Officials don’t yet have an estimate of labor costs, he said.
Bids open for everything from catering to demolition work
Walsh Kokosing Design-Build Team, the lead contractor for the Brent Spence work, has hosted more than 40 industry and community events since the start of the year to spur interest in bridge jobs.
Its website currently lists about two dozen projects for bid.
Some don’t require construction know-how. Those include providing office and safety supplies, catering and event work, promotional materials, and video, photo and printing services.
But Walsh Kokosing also needs specialized subcontractors to:
Walsh Kokosing has already brought on Universal Contracting Corp. to remove about 20% of Longworth Hall at 700 W. Pete Rose Way, a $10 million job. It’s also hired BioSurvey Group to move mussels in the Ohio River upstream, a job worth up to $100,000.
Construction community is asking questions
As hiring ramps up, the Workforce Council of Southwest Ohio is standing by to assist.
Beginning next month, the agency will host four sessions related to bridge employment, according to Beth Yoke, the council’s executive director. It will invite state transportation and Walsh Kokosing officials to the first one to learn about their hiring needs. The following meetings will focus on training strategies and local construction company impacts.
The construction community is asking questions, Yoke said.
Among them: Will Walsh Kokosing favor out-of-town workers and subcontractors over local ones? In the current political climate, will it seek female applicants or persons of color? Will other contractors lose their workers, especially with the Brent Spence and Western Hills Viaduct projects overlapping? Will demand for building materials push up their prices?
Yoke’s biggest question: What jobs does the Brent Spence team need to fill and what training will those workers need?
“The window (for training) is still open but it’s closing slowly,” she said. “It would be helpful to know as soon as possible.”
Bruning said the Ohio transportation department will turn to the Building Futures Apprenticeship Readiness Program (which it helped develop) for help. It offers 12 weeks of training that includes life skills, financial literacy and trade fundamentals. “It’s designed to help people from underserved communities enter the construction workforce,” he said.
Recruiting at Greater Cincinnati libraries, meanwhile, will continue through 2025, with monthly sessions at branches in College Hill, Clifton, West End, Corryville and Downtown. Sessions in Kentucky will also be scheduled.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Want to build Greater Cincinnati’s new Ohio River bridge? Hundreds of jobs available
Reporting by Patricia Gallagher Newberry, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
