Maryland more than doubles estimate on rebuilding Baltimore bridge

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Maryland officials have more than doubled the estimated cost to replace Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed and killed six construction workers last year after a massive container ship crashed into it, and they’ve added two years on to the projected completion date.

The Maryland Transportation Authority said Monday it is updating its financial forecast to include a price range of between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, with an anticipated open-to-traffic date in late 2030. That’s up from a previous estimated cost of $1.9 billion and an opening date of late 2028.

“As design has advanced and pre-construction work progresses, it became clear that material costs for all aspects of the project have increased drastically since the preliminary estimates were prepared less than two weeks after the initial tragedy,” said Acting Transportation Secretary and MDTA Chair Samantha J. Biddle.

The announcement by Maryland officials was made a day before the National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to vote on its findings into what caused a massive container ship to crash into the bridge. The board was set to meet Tuesday morning in Washington to vote on a probable cause, safety recommendations and any changes to an earlier report.

Investigators previously discovered a loose cable that could have caused electrical issues on the cargo ship called the Dali, which lost power and veered off course before striking the bridge, according to documents released last year by the NTSB.

On Monday, Biddle said the updated cost range and schedule are directly correlated to increased material costs and to a robust pier protection system designed to protect the new Key Bridge and reduce the likelihood of a future ship strike.

“The new Francis Scott Key Bridge isn’t just a local infrastructure project – it’s vital to our nation’s economy and will connect the Baltimore region to economies throughout the United States and the world. Although rebuilding will take longer than initially forecasted and cost more, we remain committed to rebuilding as safely, quickly and cost effectively as possible,” Biddle said in a statement.

Since the preliminary timeline and cost estimates were made shortly after the bridge collapsed, “national economic conditions have deteriorated and material costs have increased,” Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, said. “At the same time, elevated costs have resulted from federal design and resilience standards — not discretionary state choices.”

The governor also said the state will continue to pursue litigation against those responsible, “so taxpayers aren’t on the hook.”

The bridge, a longstanding Baltimore landmark, was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to easily bypass downtown. The original 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span took five years to construct and opened to traffic in 1977. It was particularly important for the city’s port operations.