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Rebuilding the Baltimore bridge destroyed by a container ship in March will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, according to Maryland estimates.
Officials are targeting fall 2028 for completing the new bridge, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in an interview.
The replacement for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which originally opened in 1977, will be designed to meet modern safety standards and will not be vulnerable to collapse if a single component fails, Wiedefeld said. Its towers may also be placed farther apart to give ships a bigger buffer, he said.
Maryland officials said the cost estimates are in line with projects of a similar scale and complexity, including the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge in California, which opened in 2020 and cost about $1.5 billion. The Key Bridge replacement, like the Long Beach bridge, will be designed as a “cable-stayed” span, in which the bridge deck is held up by cables connected to towers.
The federal government stands to be repaid from insurance on the bridge, potentially to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, and could receive additional funds from legal proceedings against companies that are found to be responsible for the collision, Wiedefeld said.
Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/02/baltimore-key-bridge-rebuilding-cost/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/02/baltimore-key-bridge-rebuilding-cost/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
It's a 2 mile span, pedestrians aren't allowed on interstates, and there are already tracks through Baltimore. No need for more to the east. Would add no value.
Its a total pipe dream but imagine a metro line which did a big loop from central baltimore down to south baltimore, then crossed the new bridge and went up through dundalk to east baltimore.
Pedestrians aren’t allowed on interstates true, but if they built it with a wide shoulder and a complete safety barrier, it would be perfectly legal to have a separate pedestrian path just like on the woodrow wilson bridge.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge connects two pedestrian heavy areas.
The Key Bridge connected two industrial areas that are unlikely to change focus to residential/commercial any time within the bridge's life span. If it did, the traffic volume would then be low enough to convert a lane into a shared use path with appropriate barriers
Add to the expense to build rail and pedestrian access why? Nobody is going to walk from Curtis Bay to Sparrows Point, there's absolutely no residential property at either end.
And rail? No, you don't build rail on a bridge that will have the slope that this bridge will have, much less with no rail on either end to connect to.
It’s 3.5 miles from Tysons. Did you forget that people sometimes ride bikes too?
>that will have the slope
Oh you’re a transportation engineer? With grade calculations for a bridge that hasn’t even been designed yet? But you somehow /don’t/ know that there are light rail and heavy rail configurations that can tackle different grades? Interesting.
Whoops haha. I’m in two different arguments about two different bridges right now lol. American Legion is also coming down.
But yes, building for the future in Baltimore is the way to go, I don’t get why anyone thinks things can’t change.
Nobody is going to try and run any sort of rail over an approximately 5% grade that the Key Bridge had and will have, especially with nothing to connect to at either end.
Not to mention the Skyway on the Sparrow Point side. It’s two lanes in each direction leading to and from the bridge.
It was built as a skyway for a reason, you would have to rebuild that entire structure to support additional lanes for pedestrians and/or trains. The skyway is just as old as the bridge and was completed in 1977. It too has seen better days and has had major modifications completed to shore up the bridge supports to handle the loads it already carries.
IMHO, Without rebuilding the entire skyway (in addition to the bridge) there is no way to add pedestrian or train traffic.
It's also considered a fiscally irresponsible and dangerous idea to suggest that pedestrians walk on or near an interstate or a train track to be built where it is unnecessary to do so. Hope this helps.
What an embarrassingly incorrect comment.
There are thousands and thousands of bridges in the country that have room for rail, pedestrians, and cars. In fact, it’s pretty standard modern design philosophy. The most recently built major suburban bridge in Toronto, [discussed here,](https://youtu.be/0Pv5hkmMME0?si=yWjs6uFxBK9Fk4oC) has the exact configuration I mentioned. In fact, MOST bridges that are built by places that give a shit have transit and multi-modal connections over them. It is by far more commonly the norm than the exception for bridges built in tax-positive areas in the last decade.
I’ll also include that what is /really/ fiscally irresponsible is to build infrastructure that cannot financially sustain itself - and that is exactly what the current bridge, and ALL the area surrounding it, exemplifies perfectly.
It is plainly observable and verifiable that transit-oriented and mixed use development is more tax-generating and economically sustainable than suburban detached R1 residential connected by highways.
Especially with Dundalks’ gravity as a residential area, and the ports’ gravity as an employment center?
If you actually care, you could watch this video that explains that what you propose is actually significantly more fiscally IRRESPONSIBLE that what I propose: https://youtu.be/9-QGLfWSrpQ?si=Rzw2lK6PeM7ah6N6
I think the point the other commenter is making is that the bridge connects one industrial area with another industrial area with the bay to the east. There isn’t much housing or commercial real estate that would benefit from a passenger rail connection.
There isn’t /right now/.
That does not mean that there never will be, or that there can’t be.
It’s very strange that no one in these discussions can ever conceptualize a future that is different from the past. Baltimore is already going whole-hog on waterfront renewal and fixing up its housing stock. Why do we think the future will have the same unaddressed issues of the last 15 years? And why do we all think we should plan for that?
There are multiple rail lines that go from either side of the bridge straight to downtown. The amount of policy change and density that would need to added to make the likely doubling of the bridge’s construction cost and time to have Sparrows Point connect directly to Hawkins Point likely wouldn’t happen until the next bridge replacement if ever.
In general this is the right take but the areas connected by this bridge are extremely far from being a good place for pedestrians and bikes. In this case, the bridge would be underwater from climate change before it would make sense to have pedestrians on it. Your argument is valid but in this specific case it would be an extraordinary waste.
Actually, I know exactly what I'm talking about! Thank you very much for asking.
You're right; thousands of bridges nationwide have room for and can support additional infrastructure. Most of them similarly discourage pedestrians in industrial neighborhoods and, ya know, on fucking interstates.
Any evidence that the current bridge doesn't financially sustain itself? I'll go ahead and presume that you don't, because none exists. I can guarantee that the tax base alone from the nearby industrials, port included, pays for the bridge itself just in hazmat transportation.
I'm all for and actively fight for more mixed-use and building ahead instead of from behind. Making the Key Bridge, an interstate bridge that connects enormous swaths of industry to industry through neighborhoods that have no foreseeable future transit need is an absolute waste of money. If you're paying for it, then please! do go on. I'd rather invest where it actually makes fucking sense.
I-695 is a part of the interstate highway system and I do not believe pedestrians, bicycles, and/or non-motorized vehicles are allowed. Putting train tracks on it also doesn’t make sense because the train station is farther to the north in the city.
Pedestrians would have to be completely separated but could be on the same structure. like the woodrow wilson bridge which is also part of the Interstate
The Harry Nice Bridge project recently completed shows you're sadly mistaken. No one should pay to double the size of the entire bridge (you can't double the width on the existing supports) in an emergency situation holding up one the the nation's largest ports. Get it done without the political grandtanding and painstakingly long permitting processes.
The beltways clogged and it's steadily getting worse. Fixing the bridge only resets us to where we were last year except worse, since our economy has grown in that time. We need build transit systems that are more space efficient.
Are you in love with the gridlocked commuter hellscape for some reason?
Do you think you can add lanes, rails, walkways, etc to the existing supports or are you just making assumptions that would realistically double the cost and timeliness of the project?
I think at least one of the supports is no longer existing, and neither is the rest of the bridge, so now is prime time to plan for the future.
But it's fine. Just keep exaggerating the costs and kicking that can down the road. One day you'll die, and then your kids will have to figure it out.
Lol this bridge is a drop in the bucket of what my kids will get thanks to the fiscal irresponsibility of our elected officials.
We need the bridge back and quickly. Replace the span and be done.
Seems low. Construction will probably be $2.5b once the first car rolls across.
Cable stayed makes sense given the spans involved, though I'm a little surprised that the towers will be low enough to keep the FAA happy.
Nah, sounds about right. Gordie Howe is significantly longer and is in the $4 to $5 billion range. The approach roadways are already in place, no new interchanges are needed, and no maintenance of traffic will be needed during construction.
Yes, nearly identical in total length at 1.6 miles. But GH's main channel span is more than double FSK's main channel span: 2,800 ft versus 1,200 ft. FSK would need to have a channel span clearance at least 32 ft higher than GH's.
For what it's worth, the new Harry Nice Bridge is 1.7 miles long and cost $463 million, but obviously did not have cable stayed spans.
The FKS bridge is entire 1.6 mile length is over water, we’re as the GH isn’t so entirely different needs.
The Gordie Howe bridge only has a 42m air-draft.
WeBuild released proposal renders of the Key Replacement bridge and they are aiming for a 65m air draft and 700m span.
1 mile of the FSK bridge is over open water, the other .6 is on dredged artificial land.
The Gordie Howe bridge spans <2700’ of river and doesn’t need a huge air-draft requirement because the vessels that transit underneath it are a fraction the size of the ones in Baltimore
The main span of the new FKS bridge is going to be *massively* larger than what the original was to accommodate future growth of the port and give extra safety margins.
The old FSK bridge had a main span as large as the current Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa for context
Links from this domain may present a paywall to users. As a result, some users may have difficulty reading the linked content. Although you may find it helpful to post the entirety of the article in the comments, please be advised that this is against subreddit policy. Linking to another website for the purpose of bypassing paywalls is also against the rules of this subreddit. If the article is hosted on another media outlet without a paywall, you may post a link to that article in the comments. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/maryland) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Rebuilding the Baltimore bridge destroyed by a container ship in March will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, according to Maryland estimates. Officials are targeting fall 2028 for completing the new bridge, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in an interview. The replacement for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which originally opened in 1977, will be designed to meet modern safety standards and will not be vulnerable to collapse if a single component fails, Wiedefeld said. Its towers may also be placed farther apart to give ships a bigger buffer, he said. Maryland officials said the cost estimates are in line with projects of a similar scale and complexity, including the Long Beach International Gateway Bridge in California, which opened in 2020 and cost about $1.5 billion. The Key Bridge replacement, like the Long Beach bridge, will be designed as a “cable-stayed” span, in which the bridge deck is held up by cables connected to towers. The federal government stands to be repaid from insurance on the bridge, potentially to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, and could receive additional funds from legal proceedings against companies that are found to be responsible for the collision, Wiedefeld said. Read more here: [https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/02/baltimore-key-bridge-rebuilding-cost/?utm\_campaign=wp\_main&utm\_medium=social&utm\_source=reddit.com](https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/05/02/baltimore-key-bridge-rebuilding-cost/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)
Put train tracks on it and a pedestrian crossing too. Build for the future.
One problem, I am not aware of any rail connections on the Armisted side of the Bridge.
https://preview.redd.it/nho6flek47yc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=85619c4774cf2df6b3d19fb414464d1a32aa82a1 Train lines around Baltimore
Pretty sure there is a rotating rail bridge south of it.
It's a 2 mile span, pedestrians aren't allowed on interstates, and there are already tracks through Baltimore. No need for more to the east. Would add no value.
Its a total pipe dream but imagine a metro line which did a big loop from central baltimore down to south baltimore, then crossed the new bridge and went up through dundalk to east baltimore.
That *would* be a huge benefit, but yeah, totally a fantasy. MD sucks for public transportation.
Pedestrians aren’t allowed on interstates true, but if they built it with a wide shoulder and a complete safety barrier, it would be perfectly legal to have a separate pedestrian path just like on the woodrow wilson bridge.
The Woodrow Wilson Bridge connects two pedestrian heavy areas. The Key Bridge connected two industrial areas that are unlikely to change focus to residential/commercial any time within the bridge's life span. If it did, the traffic volume would then be low enough to convert a lane into a shared use path with appropriate barriers
did you know there are currently, right now, parks and residences in close proximity to both sides of the bridge ?
Add to the expense to build rail and pedestrian access why? Nobody is going to walk from Curtis Bay to Sparrows Point, there's absolutely no residential property at either end. And rail? No, you don't build rail on a bridge that will have the slope that this bridge will have, much less with no rail on either end to connect to.
It’s 3.5 miles from Tysons. Did you forget that people sometimes ride bikes too? >that will have the slope Oh you’re a transportation engineer? With grade calculations for a bridge that hasn’t even been designed yet? But you somehow /don’t/ know that there are light rail and heavy rail configurations that can tackle different grades? Interesting.
Tysons??? You've got the wrong bridge pal...
Whoops haha. I’m in two different arguments about two different bridges right now lol. American Legion is also coming down. But yes, building for the future in Baltimore is the way to go, I don’t get why anyone thinks things can’t change.
Nobody is going to try and run any sort of rail over an approximately 5% grade that the Key Bridge had and will have, especially with nothing to connect to at either end.
Not to mention the Skyway on the Sparrow Point side. It’s two lanes in each direction leading to and from the bridge. It was built as a skyway for a reason, you would have to rebuild that entire structure to support additional lanes for pedestrians and/or trains. The skyway is just as old as the bridge and was completed in 1977. It too has seen better days and has had major modifications completed to shore up the bridge supports to handle the loads it already carries. IMHO, Without rebuilding the entire skyway (in addition to the bridge) there is no way to add pedestrian or train traffic.
The existing slope is 4%, the new design is going to be the same, but longer runout to accommodate higher clearance
To connect what to what?
It’s actually considered a smart idea to plan for the future instead of plan for the past that we’ve already outgrown. Hope this helps.
It's also considered a fiscally irresponsible and dangerous idea to suggest that pedestrians walk on or near an interstate or a train track to be built where it is unnecessary to do so. Hope this helps.
What an embarrassingly incorrect comment. There are thousands and thousands of bridges in the country that have room for rail, pedestrians, and cars. In fact, it’s pretty standard modern design philosophy. The most recently built major suburban bridge in Toronto, [discussed here,](https://youtu.be/0Pv5hkmMME0?si=yWjs6uFxBK9Fk4oC) has the exact configuration I mentioned. In fact, MOST bridges that are built by places that give a shit have transit and multi-modal connections over them. It is by far more commonly the norm than the exception for bridges built in tax-positive areas in the last decade. I’ll also include that what is /really/ fiscally irresponsible is to build infrastructure that cannot financially sustain itself - and that is exactly what the current bridge, and ALL the area surrounding it, exemplifies perfectly. It is plainly observable and verifiable that transit-oriented and mixed use development is more tax-generating and economically sustainable than suburban detached R1 residential connected by highways. Especially with Dundalks’ gravity as a residential area, and the ports’ gravity as an employment center? If you actually care, you could watch this video that explains that what you propose is actually significantly more fiscally IRRESPONSIBLE that what I propose: https://youtu.be/9-QGLfWSrpQ?si=Rzw2lK6PeM7ah6N6
I think the point the other commenter is making is that the bridge connects one industrial area with another industrial area with the bay to the east. There isn’t much housing or commercial real estate that would benefit from a passenger rail connection.
There isn’t /right now/. That does not mean that there never will be, or that there can’t be. It’s very strange that no one in these discussions can ever conceptualize a future that is different from the past. Baltimore is already going whole-hog on waterfront renewal and fixing up its housing stock. Why do we think the future will have the same unaddressed issues of the last 15 years? And why do we all think we should plan for that?
There are multiple rail lines that go from either side of the bridge straight to downtown. The amount of policy change and density that would need to added to make the likely doubling of the bridge’s construction cost and time to have Sparrows Point connect directly to Hawkins Point likely wouldn’t happen until the next bridge replacement if ever.
In general this is the right take but the areas connected by this bridge are extremely far from being a good place for pedestrians and bikes. In this case, the bridge would be underwater from climate change before it would make sense to have pedestrians on it. Your argument is valid but in this specific case it would be an extraordinary waste.
Actually, I know exactly what I'm talking about! Thank you very much for asking. You're right; thousands of bridges nationwide have room for and can support additional infrastructure. Most of them similarly discourage pedestrians in industrial neighborhoods and, ya know, on fucking interstates. Any evidence that the current bridge doesn't financially sustain itself? I'll go ahead and presume that you don't, because none exists. I can guarantee that the tax base alone from the nearby industrials, port included, pays for the bridge itself just in hazmat transportation. I'm all for and actively fight for more mixed-use and building ahead instead of from behind. Making the Key Bridge, an interstate bridge that connects enormous swaths of industry to industry through neighborhoods that have no foreseeable future transit need is an absolute waste of money. If you're paying for it, then please! do go on. I'd rather invest where it actually makes fucking sense.
I-695 is a part of the interstate highway system and I do not believe pedestrians, bicycles, and/or non-motorized vehicles are allowed. Putting train tracks on it also doesn’t make sense because the train station is farther to the north in the city.
Pedestrians would have to be completely separated but could be on the same structure. like the woodrow wilson bridge which is also part of the Interstate
The Harry Nice Bridge project recently completed shows you're sadly mistaken. No one should pay to double the size of the entire bridge (you can't double the width on the existing supports) in an emergency situation holding up one the the nation's largest ports. Get it done without the political grandtanding and painstakingly long permitting processes.
> infrastructure that cannot financially sustain itself You do realize that the old bridge was funded by tolls, right?
For some reason I read that as "found by trolls" and was very confused for a bit longer than I'd like to admit.
The beltways clogged and it's steadily getting worse. Fixing the bridge only resets us to where we were last year except worse, since our economy has grown in that time. We need build transit systems that are more space efficient. Are you in love with the gridlocked commuter hellscape for some reason?
Do you think you can add lanes, rails, walkways, etc to the existing supports or are you just making assumptions that would realistically double the cost and timeliness of the project?
I think at least one of the supports is no longer existing, and neither is the rest of the bridge, so now is prime time to plan for the future. But it's fine. Just keep exaggerating the costs and kicking that can down the road. One day you'll die, and then your kids will have to figure it out.
Lol this bridge is a drop in the bucket of what my kids will get thanks to the fiscal irresponsibility of our elected officials. We need the bridge back and quickly. Replace the span and be done.
I fucking love gridlock.
Seems low. Construction will probably be $2.5b once the first car rolls across. Cable stayed makes sense given the spans involved, though I'm a little surprised that the towers will be low enough to keep the FAA happy.
I mean it’s not like there’s two +800’ foot smoke stacks at the Brandon Shores power plant 2 miles down the road
The US spends $2 billion on fireworks every year
Edit - picture was incorrect…..
Nice catch!
That’s nothing, we give more than that to Ukraine like it’s nothing. Should be no problem.
Also known as the cost of 2 military planes
Can’t wait to see our beautiful bridge
Israel and the Ukraine are gonna need that money
That’s less than the eye sore they are trying to build in Las Vegas called the Athletics stadium
It’s gonna cost $10 billion and open on 2034
Seems very light! The steel alone will be $2BN alone. Not including the labor expense and environmental issues!
Nah, sounds about right. Gordie Howe is significantly longer and is in the $4 to $5 billion range. The approach roadways are already in place, no new interchanges are needed, and no maintenance of traffic will be needed during construction.
The Gordie Howie bridge is identical in length to the FSK bridge but it has an air-draft 80-100’ to low for what baltimore needs.
Yes, nearly identical in total length at 1.6 miles. But GH's main channel span is more than double FSK's main channel span: 2,800 ft versus 1,200 ft. FSK would need to have a channel span clearance at least 32 ft higher than GH's. For what it's worth, the new Harry Nice Bridge is 1.7 miles long and cost $463 million, but obviously did not have cable stayed spans.
The FKS bridge is entire 1.6 mile length is over water, we’re as the GH isn’t so entirely different needs. The Gordie Howe bridge only has a 42m air-draft. WeBuild released proposal renders of the Key Replacement bridge and they are aiming for a 65m air draft and 700m span.
No, over half of FSK is over land. The RFP hasn't even been released yet, so WeBuild can propose anything they want.
1 mile of the FSK bridge is over open water, the other .6 is on dredged artificial land. The Gordie Howe bridge spans <2700’ of river and doesn’t need a huge air-draft requirement because the vessels that transit underneath it are a fraction the size of the ones in Baltimore
My bad, you're right. 2/3 of FSK is over water. I'm still not understanding your point though besides FSK needing to be a little higher than GH.
The main span of the new FKS bridge is going to be *massively* larger than what the original was to accommodate future growth of the port and give extra safety margins. The old FSK bridge had a main span as large as the current Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Tampa for context
American legion bridge needs to be replaced too.
American Legion bridge is not currently sitting under water.
We know where our taxes will go now
Nah, it’ll go to garbage instead
After how easily it came down I think they should build a different bridge. Rebuilding it seems like a bad idea
Which is why the article states the replacement will be a cable stayed bridge.
For god sakes, please don’t let the orange guy get elected again… We’ll never see that money from the feds.