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FILE - Traffic on the Brent Spence Bridge passes in front of the Cincinnati skyline while crossing the Ohio River to and from Covington, Ky., Oct. 7, 2014.  (AP Photo/Al Behrman, File)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Kentucky and Ohio have issued a request for proposals to firms interested in building the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor.

In January, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced more than $1.6 billion in federal funding to make the project happen. 

Funding will allow a new bridge to be built alongside the existing Brent Spence Bridge, work to be done to repair and reconfigure the existing bridge and improvements to be made to the interstate that serves the bridge. 

The Brent Spence Bridge links Covington, Kentucky, and Cincinnati, Ohio. 

The request issued Tuesday asks for firms to provide construction and design services to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), according to a news release. 

Officials said Tuesday that the request period ends on March 31. A firm is expected to be chosen in May so planning can start and construction can begin by 2024. The goal is for the project to be finished in 2029. For more information about the project and to read the RFP, click here.

In addition to the $1.6 billion in federal finding announced last month, a $250 million federal grant from the Mega Grant Program will be used for the project. 

The Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project is one of nine nationwide projects selected for the first year of the Mega Grant, which is expected to invest a total of $5 billion through 2026 in repairing America's infrastructure. 

Additionally, a $1.38 billion grant from the Bridge Investment Program will help fund the project.

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