[Baltimore Sun] New Key Bridge estimated to be completed by fall 2028, cost up to $1.9B, officials say
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Maryland transportation officials said Thursday that they expect to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge with a new span in just over four years.
The project to replace the span of Interstate 695 by fall of 2028 is estimated to cost between $1.7 and 1.9 billion, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said on Thursday.
Plans to replace the 1.6-mile bridge have been in flux since the span collapsed into the Patapsco River early on March 26 when a support column was struck by a cargo ship, killing six construction workers. Experts initially estimated it’d take between two and 15 years to replace the bridge, which closed the loop of the Baltimore Beltway when it opened in 1977.
The cost estimate is preliminary, with detailed engineering specifics not confirmed, Wiedefeld said in a phone interview. A major caveat in the timeline will be going through the bidding process, too. To save time, the project will be a “progressive design-build” project, meaning the selected contractor will hire a designer and plan steps along the way.
The new bridge is expected to be paid for either mostly or entirely with federal funds, with Maryland’s entire congressional delegation putting forth legislation to ensure the federal government covers all costs. Democratic President Joe Biden has pledged for the federal government to pay for the entire response, committing to moving “heaven and earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible” while visiting the collapse site last month. His administration has started that process by releasing an initial $60 million in emergency relief funds to Wiedefeld’s department. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore was slated to discuss funding with House lawmakers Thursday morning in Washington.
Until Thursday, most considerations on the new bridge were hypothetical, with officials mostly focused on clearing the nearly 50,000 tons of steel and concrete from the path of the bridge that has blocked the Port of Baltimore to most vessel traffic. Crews were still in the water Thursday trying to clear the wreckage of the old bridge from the river and locate the final construction worker who was killed in the collapse. Officials said earlier this week that they are focused on removing sections of steel off the Dali in an effort to refloat the massive freighter ship that struck the bridge last month. While alternate channels are allowing larger vessels each week, the main 50-foot channel is still expected to open later this month.
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