Kiewit Infrastructure Co. has been selected to rebuild Baltimore’s I-695/Francis Scott Key Bridge under a progressive design-build procurement announced August 29 by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). Work on the planned four-year reconstruction effort is scheduled to begin next year.
The agency’s approval of an initial $73 million contract to the Omaha, Neb.-based company. for the project’s development, it follows an evaluation over the summer of proposals to replace the Patapsco River crossing that collapsed March 26 after a support pylon was struck by the dumpster. vessel M/V Dali. The incident, which killed six construction workers and crippled Baltimore’s shipping industry for more than two months while the wreckage of the canal bridge was removed, remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
MDTA selected three teams for the task. Kiewit’s bid of $1.2 billion for the entire reconstruction effort was $20 million more than the next highest bid, submitted by Flatiron Halmar Dragados Joint Ventures, and more than $41 million above of the bid submitted by Lane Construction and its Italian parent company, Webuild. MDTA rejected a fourth bid submitted by Archer Western/Traylor Brothers Joint Venture, citing a DBE submission that “did not meet contractual requirements.” The joint venture’s appeal against the decision was later rejected by the agency. MDTA has set a DBE participation target for the rebuild of 31.5%.
MDTA’s evaluation criteria put technical qualifications ahead of price. The agency said in a statement that Kiewit’s proposal was “considered more advantageous to the State.” The agency also noted that the project’s scope of work and accelerated schedule targeting completion in the fall of 2028 “will require a substantial amount of skilled labor to complete construction quickly, safely and reliable”.
After developing project scope and requirements in collaboration with MDTA and project stakeholders under the initial contract, Kiewit will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes final design, the engineering and construction of the project, as well as the demolition of ramps, dolphins and other structures. remaining bridge of the original key. Incentives will be added to accelerate completion. In the event that a guaranteed maximum price is not agreed upon, MDTA says it will deliver the work through an independent procurement mechanism.
MDTA is also in the process of selecting an engineering representative for the reconstruction. This $75 million contract is expected to be awarded in January 2025.
The project has already received a categorical exemption from the Federal Highway Administration, which allows the reconstruction to take place in the original span bridge right-of-way without a full environmental review. Although Maryland state officials have repeatedly held up the cable stay as the most likely design, the new bridge will be a far cry from its 1970s truss predecessor.
To more safely accommodate ever-larger container ships accessing the Port of Baltimore, for example, MDTA says the 2.4-mile-long structure will rise 230 feet above the river, 45 feet taller than the original structure, while the width between the pylons of the main light will increase from 1,200 feet to 1,400 feet.
Less clear is who will pay for the reconstruction project. Despite President Joe Biden’s promise in March of full federal funding for the project and intense congressional lobbying by Maryland political leaders, progress on any reconstruction-related legislation appears unlikely until after the November election . Earlier this month, MDTA received a $350 insurance payout from Chubb for a “property and business interruption” policy on the original Key Bridge.
