Construction on Baltimore's Key Bridge to begin this week. Here's what you can expect.
BALTIMORE -- The first steps in the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are set to begin later this week, according to the MDTA. Pre-construction activities were originally set to begin Tuesday but were postponed due to snow in the area of the rebuild.
"Once the snow has melted, MDTA's progressive design-build team will begin pre-construction property inspections to approximately 1100 homes and businesses in the adjacent communities of the Key Bridge Rebuild project area," the MDTA said. "Property inspections are voluntary, will be provided at no cost to the homeowner, and are expected to be completed by the end of February 2025, weather permitting."
Initial pre-construction activities will include surveying, riverbed scanning, and soil sample collection. The entire project is expected to cost approximately $2 billion and take about four years to complete.
Letters were mailed to residents with properties within one mile of the rebuild, and residents could schedule the property inspections at their convenience, according to the department.
"That we would make sure that everyone who was directly impacted by the Key Bridge crisis, including the port workers and their family members, that they will be supported and that we would rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge," Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said. "We're proud to say on all of those elements, we're now on track and we're thankful."
With such a major milestone ahead, we're taking a look back at the progress that's been made since the collapse of the Key Bridge.
Key Bridge collapses
On March 26, 2024, around 1:30 a.m., the Dali, a large cargo ship, lost its electrical power and collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The collision caused the bridge to collapse, which sent eight road workers falling into the Patapsco River below. Six of those workers died.
The workers who died in the bridge collapse were identified as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 24-year-old Carlos Hernandez, 49-year-old Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez and 35-year-old Jose Mynor Lopez.
A channel for small boats reopened on April 2, but the full channel didn't reopen for cargo until mid-June.
Port of Baltimore's impact
The main channel at the Port of Baltimore was closed after the Key Bridge collapse, stopping the flow of cargo ships transporting goods, and impacting the supply chain.
The port facilitates the movement of cars, sugar, coal, and many other goods. More than 50 million tons of goods moved through the port in 2023.
Organizations, including the Greater Baltimore Committee and the Baltimore Community Foundation, announced initiatives to support businesses negatively impacted by the collapse.
Lawsuits against Dali shipowner
In October, the owners of the Dali ship, which collided with the Key Bridge, agreed to pay $101,980,000 to the federal government in a settlement deal with the Department of Justice. In that lawsuit, the DOJ claimed the Dali was "unseaworthy" and that the shipowners were aware of the electrical issues before the collision.
The shipowners face numerous lawsuits from other parties including Baltimore City, Baltimore County, and the state of Maryland.
The owners of the Dali also filed a motion to limit their liability to $43.7 million, the value of the ship and its cargo, citing maritime law that dates back to the Titanic.
Bridge rebuild funding secured
In November 2024, Biden formally requested Congress include complete funding for the bridge reconstruction in the disaster relief fund. That funding request was approved in December.
This followed his earlier approval of Maryland Governor Wes Moore's request for emergency assistance immediately after the bridge collapsed.
The initial $60 million allocation focused on clearing debris from the waterway, marking the first phase of federal support for the recovery effort.
Key Bridge reconstruction
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) announced that preliminary work on rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge would begin January 7, with demolition scheduled to start in spring.
The rebuild will be fully funded by the federal government through a $100 billion disaster relief package included in the spending bill passed by Congress on December 20.
Last August, MDTA awarded a $73 million contract to Kiewit Infrastructure Company for the design and construction of the new bridge.
