The current steel truss bridge is obsolete and requires major work to bring it back to an acceptable safety level. The new bridge was put out for bids in late 2005. In Jan 2006, it was announced that all the bids were excessive. The unexpectedly high cost was blamed on Hurricane Katrina, which sent the prices of building materials soaring. Ohio DOT went back to the drawing board. The single tower cable stayed bridge was out, and a new smaller two tower cable stay bridge is the new preferred alternative. Even with a new less costly design, Ohio DOT is not likely to put the bridge out to bids until 2009, and the first cars will not likely cross the new bridge until 2013.