It's been 1 year since the Baltimore bridge collapse. Where does the Key Bridge rebuild stand?
One year ago, Baltimore's iconic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in the middle of the night after it was struck by a large cargo ship leaving the Port of Baltimore. The deadly collapse crippled the port - and traffic around Baltimore - for months.
Within a matter of months, state and federal leaders collaborated to fund and rebuild a brand-new bridge, which is expected to be finished by the fall of 2028.
The last time construction began on the Key Bridge was in 1972. The original steel truss design spanned 1,209 feet across the Patapsco River and formed the final link in the Baltimore Beltway.
What caused the Baltimore bridge collapse?
On March 26, 2024, investigators said the DALI, a 948-foot vessel managed by Singapore-based company Synergy Marine Group, lost power before crashing into the Key Bridge. Six construction workers performing road work on the bridge died after falling into the Patapsco River.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said the ship lost power four times in 12 hours before the collision.
Earlier this month, the NTSB faulted the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) for not conducting a critical vulnerability assessment on the Key Bridge, which it said could have identified the structure's risk of collapse.
The NTSB review found the level of risk for a catastrophic collapse for the Key Bridge was nearly 30 times higher than acceptable risk levels.
"The MDTA would've had information to proactively identify strategies to reduce the risk of a collapse and loss of lives associated with a vessel collision with the bridge," MDTA chair Jennifer Homendy said when releasing the board's findings.
Report reveals vulnerabilities in Key Bridge
A new report by engineers at Johns Hopkins University found bridges across the country are susceptible to a catastrophic collision, and many are likely to be hit within our lifetimes.
The Key Bridge would have been in the top ten most vulnerable bridges in the country.
"We have for a long time underestimated the risk to existing bridges around the United States, and in fact, what we saw with the Key Bridge was not an aberration. It was consistent with historical precedent," said Michael Shields, a Johns Hopkins University engineer.
A CBS News investigation found fewer than half of the nation's bridges have functional pier protection. Some older bridges, like the nearby Delaware Memorial Bridge, are getting retrofitted. The price tag there is more than $90 million.
How long will the Key Bridge rebuild take?
The Key Bridge construction is expected to cost about $2 billion, and it could take at least four years to complete.
Here's where we stand:
- MDTA was granted a permit for the reconstruction of the Key Bridge by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some of the permissions include specific parameters for dredging in the water, modifications and discharging any dredged or fill material.
- In February 2025, the MDTA authorized three contracts for the Key Bridge reconstruction, which are for construction management and inspection services worth $20 million each.
- The Maryland Board of Public Works approved contracts with Greenman-Pederson, Inc./Gannett Fleming, Inc.; Michael Baker International, Inc./STV, Inc.; and AECOM Technical Services, Inc.
- The consulting teams will oversee various aspects of the reconstruction, including constructability reviews, inspections of erosion control, traffic maintenance, materials testing, and scheduling. They will work alongside MDTA's General Engineering Consultant and Kiewit Infrastructure Co., the project's design builder.
- Pre-construction activities started in January 2025, which include inspecting about 1,100 homes and businesses in nearby communities, scanning the riverbed, collecting soil samples, and surveying, according to the MDTA.
- In August 2024, MDTA approved a $73 million contract for Kiewit Infrastructure Company to design and construct the new Key Bridge.
New Key Bridge design
Maryland leaders unveiled the vision of the new Key Bridge in February.
The rebuild will visually mimic the original bridge's architecture while having structural improvements. Officials said the new bridge will be taller, to accommodate ship traffic with ease.
The cable stay design of the new bridge will allow the federal shipping channel to expand from 700 ft. to 1,000 ft. wide. The base of the bridge will also be raised to 230 ft., which is a 45-foot increase to accommodate ship traffic.
The roadway will still be two lanes wide going in each direction. Other pier support structures will be implemented to secure the structure.
According to the MDTA, other bridge features include:
- Two 12-foot lanes in each direction, 10-foot-wide outside shoulders and 4-foot-wide inside shoulders per direction of travel
- Total Bridge length more than 2 miles
- Two bridge towers more than 600 feet tall
- Distance between main span pylons exceeding 1,600 feet
- Total length of cable-stayed main span exceeding 3,300 feet
- Expected life span of 100 years
"Our new bridge will also be constructed in accordance with the most advanced industry standards and the very best in infrastructure design," Maryland Gov. Moore said. "We are going to use the best materials available and employ many Marylanders to build it."
Who is paying for the new Key Bridge?
In December 2024, Congress passed a deal on a federal spending package, which allocated $100 billion for disaster relief, including the entire cost of a new Key Bridge.
At the time, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said the efforts to complete the work on a new Key Bridge were "on time and on budget."
"The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a national crisis, and meeting the moment would require an act of national unity," Moore said. "Now, we must bring our work to completion by rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge."
What's next in the Baltimore Key Bridge rebuild project?
In the spring, demolition will begin to remove the remaining pillars of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Immediately after that, Gov. Moore said construction will begin.
In-water construction of the new bridge, which will connect the I-695 Baltimore Beltway, is expected to begin in the fall of 2025, but that will also require permit verification from the U.S. Coast Guard, according to officials.
MDTA anticipates the new Key Bridge to reopen by October 15, 2028.
