Working with federal agencies, state officials raises cost estimates for the rebuild of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) continues to work in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration to quickly and safely advance the rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The MDTA Board is prepared to update their financial forecast to include the updated cost estimate range to $4.3-$5.2 billion (initial cost estimates were around $2 billion) with an anticipated open-to-traffic date in late 2030 (initialy opening date was sometime in 2028).
According to the MDOT:
“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 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 to the bridge’s foundational piers. 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.”
Preliminary estimates for the cost and timeline of the rebuild were made less than two weeks after the initial incident in March 2024. Since then, national economic conditions have changed significantly and material costs have increased dramatically. Pre-construction activities, updated datapoints and advanced design – not available in the immediate days following the bridge collapse – have been used to inform the MDTA on an updated estimated cost and schedule for the project. After negotiations with the progressive design builder Kiewit are complete, MDTA anticipates the final cost of the project will be within the estimated price range.
Pier Protection
The increased length of the main span, now 1,665 feet, has resulted in an increase of the overall span of the bridge and the height of the main piers. The increased size accommodates today’s larger marine traffic and is needed to comply with current guidelines from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials for new bridges. The size and cost of the pier protection, the extent of which was not accounted for in the preliminary estimate, adds a significant cost to the project. For perspective, the new protective fenders are larger than a football field. The towers needed to accommodate both the length and 230-foot height of the bridge deck add a significantly higher cost than initial assumptions.
Construction Cost
According to the Federal Highway Administration, highway construction costs have increased approximately 72% in the last five years, which has led to an uncertain construction and bonding market nationwide. Inflation remains a risk to the cost of materials and contractors continue to price that risk into their bids. The cost of raw materials and labor remains constantly in flux. When pricing construction jobs, uncertainty equates to risk, which impacts cost.
The American Relief Act (P.L. 118-158) authorized more than $8 billion for the Emergency Relief Program authorized under 23 U.S.C. § 125 and provides that the federal share for Emergency Relief funds for responding to the Dali’s destruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge will be 100%.
The State has and will continue to make substantial financial commitments and contributions to support the Key Bridge reconstruction—including advancing upfront construction costs and contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance proceeds toward the rebuilding effort.
