Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement

The Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement is a project to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge in greater Baltimore, Maryland, United States.

The Key bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, after a container ship struck one of its piers. The southernmost crossing of the lower Patapsco River, the bridge was part of the Interstate Highway System and a major piece of the region's transportation infrastructure: a well-trafficked part of the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695 or I-695) linking Dundalk in Baltimore County and the Hawkins Point neighborhood of Baltimore. It crossed the deep-water shipping channel leading to the Port of Baltimore, one of the country's busiest ports.

Officials at the Maryland Department of Transportation have announced plans to replace the bridge by fall 2028 at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

History
In the early morning of March 26, 2024, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after the container ship Dali struck one of its piers. Operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the bridge was the outermost of three toll crossings of Baltimore's harbor, along with the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels. The bridge carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually, including many trucks carrying hazardous materials that are prohibited in the tunnels. It was a steel arch-shaped continuous truss bridge, the second-longest in the United States and third-longest in the world.

Initial planning considerations
In an address later that day, President Joe Biden said that he would ask Congress to fund a replacement bridge. On March 28, the federal government released an initial $60 million in emergency aid under the Emergency Relief (ER) Program of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) that is subsidized by the Highway Trust Fund. Buttigieg also urged Congress to provide funding for a replacement bridge. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said that it was the federal government's responsibility to absorb the costs.

On April 5, the House Freedom Caucus issued a statement listing conditions for their support of funding for a replacement bridge, including that the federal government seek maximum liability from the shipping companies upfront, that funding only draw upon available federal funds and be offset with budget cuts, that various federal regulations be waived, and that the Biden administration lift its pause on liquefied natural gas exports. Ben Cardin, U.S. senator from Maryland, vowed to hold those responsible for the bridge collapse accountable, but argued against waiting for related litigation to be resolved and insurance claims to be approved, saying, "We're not going to delay opening our channel or rebuilding our bridge with the lengthy process that may take", with which Buttigieg agreed. On April 8, Moore said he would talk with members of Congress the following week about funding a replacement bridge. At an April 10 hearing of the Senate Commerce Committee, ranking member Ted Cruz of Texas said the federal government "needs to help rebuild the bridge," but also argued that legal protections to protect taxpayers from the costs of litigation should be implemented and expressed concern about potential bureaucratic delays.

While some engineering professors suggested that replacing the bridge could take as long as 10 years and cost at least $350 million, a report issued by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) noted that replacement bridges can qualify for a Categorical Exclusion (CE) under the National Environmental Policy Act to accelerate regulatory review and project delivery. The report also noted that the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge that replaced the I-35W Mississippi River bridge was completed in 11 months with the help of a CE, while repairs to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge took five years to complete.

The CRS report notes that a replacement bridge project could be eligible to receive up to 80% of its funding from the FHWA ER Program since the bridge was a state highway, 90% if the expenses cause the state government to exceed its federal-aid highway program funds for the fiscal year, or 100% of the project cost if Congress makes an exception for the project from the ER Program rules (which Congress did for the I-35W Saint Anthony Falls Bridge), while any state funds received from an approved insurance claim would offset funding awarded from the ER Program. However, the ER Program has a $2.1 billion backlog of emergency relief reimbursements to states and only $890 million on hand. Policy scholars at the Eno Center for Transportation have suggested that a replacement bridge could qualify for funding under the Bridge Investment Program created under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.

On April 9, the Maryland congressional delegation announced that they would introduce a bill to make an exception to the ER Program rules for a replacement bridge. On April 11, Cardin and Maryland senator Chris Van Hollen introduced a bill in the Senate (S. 4114; referred to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee), while Maryland representatives Kweisi Mfume, Steny Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Andy Harris, Jamie Raskin, David Trone, and Glenn Ivey introduced a bill in the House (H.R. 7961; referred to the House Transportation Committee).

On May 2, Maryland Department of Transportation officials said they plan to replace the bridge by fall 2028 at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.



On May 3, Webuild, a European-based construction firm with a U.S. subsidiary, became the first engineering firm to submit a design proposal to the Maryland officials. The proposal called for a cable-stayed bridge with central support cables, similar to the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida; it would have a central span of 2,300 feet, twice that of the old bridge, and rise 213 feet, compared to the previous 185.

More than 1,700 contracting firms signed up for a May 7 MDTA industry briefing on the project.

Request for proposals
On May 31, MDTA officials issued a request for proposals to build the new bridge. It said proposals were due on June 24 and that a design-build team would be selected in mid- to late summer to "develop the project scope and requirements" with MDTA and other "project stakeholders". Once those are developed, the design-build team "will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes project final design/engineering and construction". If the agency and team cannot agree on a "guaranteed maximum price", MDTA will seek a builder under a separate contracting mechanism.

The request for proposals set various requirements for the new bridge. It must be a "visually attractive structure that minimizes the number of piers in the Patapsco River and serves as the gateway to Baltimore City and Port of Baltimore". It should be “resilient and aesthetically pleasing,” and built to last more than 75 years. Moreover, bidding teams must have a Vessel Collision Protection Design Manager who has at least 10 years' experience analyzing and designing bridge protection systems. The desired completion date remains fall 2028 —specifically, “no later than October 15, 2028,” although “incentives will be offered for earlier completion.”

On June 6, one bidder told reporters that Maryland officials said the new bridge would follow the same alignment as the old bridge, with consequent demolition of its remaining structural components, but state officials declined to confirm this.

Demolition and construction
Demolition of the original bridge's remaining ramps, piers, and aboveground structures is to begin in summer or fall 2024 and take about 10 months, MDTA officials said on July 9.