The planned four-year effort to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore officially began earlier this month with the start of pre-construction work and the selection of a general engineering consultant for the project estimated at $2 billion.
Under its $73 million Phase 1 progressive design-build contract with the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), awarded last August, Kiewit Infrastructure Co. has begun to carry out topographical and underwater studies and to collect soil samples from the land and the Patapsco River. MDTA Chief Engineer Jim Harkness said in an agency video that for the water work, Kiewit will use boring rigs mounted on small barges to collect soil samples from depths of up to 200 feet.
“There may also be a crane involved,” Harkness said, adding that both conventional and drone-based aerial surveys are being used for ground-based areas of the reconstruction.
A U.S. Coast Guard notice to mariners, issued on January 7, 2025, stated that geotechnical exploration, foundation test pile operation, and bridge demolition activities for reconstruction were also underway. starting in the area, although Harkness did not specify any other preconstruction. work that begins before spring. The Coast Guard notice noted that bridge construction activity is scheduled to continue through October 2028, the same date MDTA and Kiewit have targeted to have the replacement bridge open.
Plans call for the new four-lane crossing to be built in the same alignment as the original 1.7-mile truss bridge, which collapsed after being struck by an apparently disabled container ship in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024. Six construction workers died in the incident.
Although the reconstruction design is still in development, MDTA says the longer 2.4-mile structure will accommodate larger container ships accessing the Port of Baltimore, with a height of 230 feet above the river, 45 feet rather than the original structure. The width between the pylons of the main light will increase from 1,200 feet to 1,400 feet.
The replacement bridge has already received a categorical exemption from the Federal Highway Administration, which allows the reconstruction to take place in the right-of-way of the original span bridge without a full environmental review. Full federal funding for reconstruction was included in the interim spending bill passed by Congress on December 20, 2024 and signed by President Joe Biden the following day.
MDTA has not announced a timeline for the completion of the initial progressive design and construction work, nor the negotiation with Kiewit for Phase 2, which includes design and construction.
The Maryland Board of Public Works has also approved MDTA’s award of a $75 million general engineering consulting contract for the reconstruction to Bridging Maryland Partnership, a joint venture of WSP USA, Rummel, Klepper & Kahl (RK&K); and Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson (JMT).
According to MDTA, the five-year task order-based contract calls for the joint venture to act as the agency’s engineering representative and provide a wide range of support services, including auditing Kiewit’s processes, the review of submissions and confirmation that design and construction are compliant. agency standards and specifications. The five-year contract has a DBE participation target of 31.5%.
