Cost to rebuild collapsed Baltimore bridge more than doubles, completion now expected in late 2030

Annapolis, Maryland– Officials in Maryland have doubled the estimated cost of replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed and killed six construction workers last year after a massive container ship collided with it, and have added two years to its expected completion date.

The Maryland Transportation Authority said Monday it is updating its financial projections to include a price range of $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion, with an expected opening date to traffic in late 2030. That’s up from the previous estimated cost of $1.9 billion and an opening date of late 2028.

“As design progressed and pre-construction work progressed, it became clear that the material costs for all aspects of the project had increased significantly since initial estimates were prepared less than two weeks after the initial tragedy,” said Acting Secretary of Transportation and MDTA Chair Samantha Biddle.

The announcement by Maryland officials came one day before the National Transportation Safety Board was scheduled to vote on its findings on what caused a massive container ship to collide with the bridge. The board is scheduled to meet Tuesday morning in Washington to vote on probable cause, safety recommendations and any changes to a previous report.

Investigators previously discovered a loose cable that could have caused electrical problems on the freighter named Daly, which lost power and veered off course before hitting the bridge, according to documents released last year by the NTSB.

The updated cost scope and schedule are directly related to increased material costs and a robust dock protection system designed to protect the new Key Bridge and reduce the potential for a future ship strike, Biddle said Monday.

“The new Francis Scott Key Bridge is not just a local infrastructure project — it is vital to our nation’s economy and will connect the Baltimore region to economies across the United States and the world,” Biddle said in a statement. “Although rebuilding will take longer than initially expected and cost more, we remain committed to rebuilding as safely, quickly and cost-effectively as possible.”

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore said that since the initial schedule and cost estimates were developed shortly after the bridge collapse, “national economic conditions have deteriorated and material costs have increased.” “At the same time, higher costs resulted from federal design and flexibility standards — not from discretionary state choices.”

The governor also said the state will continue to file lawsuits against officials, “so taxpayers aren’t on the hook.”

Long a Baltimore landmark, the bridge was a vital piece of transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to bypass downtown with ease. The original 1.6-mile (2.6 km) steel span took five years to construct and opened to traffic in 1977. It was of particular importance to the city’s port operations.