Efforts to rebuild the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge over the Patapsco River in Baltimore are accelerating, and the Federal Highway Administration on July 23 issued an environmental approval for the project. Hiring is also underway, with the Maryland Transportation Authority recently issuing a request for proposals for an engineering consultant.
The federal agency issued the categorical exclusion classification and National Environmental Policy Act approval after finding that the replacement bridge would likely not significantly affect the community, the environment, or other resources because it would be built in the footprint of the old section.
Like the original 1.7-mile bridge, the new one would have four lanes of traffic.
“Winning this approval marks an important milestone in rebuilding the Key Bridge and reconnecting communities after the catastrophic collapse on March 26,” said Paul Wiedefeld, Maryland’s secretary of transportation and chairman of the state authority, in a statement
The original Key Bridge carried an average of 40,000 vehicles a day on Interstate 695. Its main spans collapsed after the container ship M/V Dali lost power and struck one of its piers. Six people died who were doing maintenance work on the bridge at the time.
A unified command with the US Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies led the effort to clean up the wreckage and restore the federal shipping channel. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the incident.
The Maryland authority issued a request for proposals in late May seeking design and construction teams for the reconstruction. Proposals were submitted last month and officials say they will select a team this summer. Although the original bridge took about five years to build, the agency aims to finish the structure by the fall of 2028. Officials have estimated the cost at $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.
Under an RFP issued July 19, the state seeks to award a $75 million general engineering consultant contract to help with the rebuilding effort. The consultant will provide cost and schedule tracking, project document management, coordination with environmental regulators, DBE contractor compliance monitoring, and other services. He would also help manage the future design and construction team.
The authority plans to hold a pre-proposal conference call for interested engineering firms on July 26 at 2 p.m. via Microsoft Teams. Answers must be submitted by August 19. The Request for Proposal is available on the eMaryland Marketplace Advantage platform.
