Splits Key Bridge rebuild into four contracts

The reconstruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge is getting a new approach. Maryland will award four separate contracts in a bid to increase competition and control a project that has ballooned to $5 billion.

Maryland is splitting the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge into four separate contracts in an effort to boost competition and rein in costs. The announcement came three weeks after the state parted ways with contractor Kiewit Infrastructure over an “unacceptably high” bid.

The four contracts cover demolition of remaining structures ($50–100 million), the southern highway approach ($300–400 million), the northern approach ($200–300 million) and the main bridge construction and pier protection ($3.5–4 billion). Together they total $4–4.8 billion, on top of the roughly $700 million Kiewit will receive for phase one.

The full project is now expected to cost $4.3–5.2 billion and be completed by the end of 2030 – up from an original estimate of $1.9 billion with a 2028 completion target.

The Key Bridge collapsed on 26 March 2024 after a container ship lost power and struck one of its piers, killing six people.

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