Cost to Rebuild Baltimore’s Key Bridge Rises Above $5.2bn

The projected cost to reconstruct Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge has climbed far beyond initial estimates, with Maryland officials now indicating the final price could surpass $5.2bn and the reopening delayed until late 2030, two years later than first announced.

According to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the updated figures reflect rising material costs, new federal resilience standards and the inclusion of an extensive pier-protection system designed to prevent another large vessel from striking the structure. The revised estimate of $4.3bn to $5.2bn is more than double the $1.7bn to $1.9bn projection released shortly after the collapse.

“This project isn’t just a local rebuild, it’s vital to our national economy,” said Samantha Biddle, acting transportation secretary and MDTA chair. She noted that the new bridge will include protective fenders larger than a football field and a higher, longer main span to meet current engineering and shipping requirements.

Officials emphasized that the early estimates were produced in under two weeks so the state could quickly secure federal emergency funding. Since then, inflation and construction market volatility have accelerated, with federal data showing highway construction costs rising about 72 percent over five years.

The bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, when the containership Dali suffered two major electrical failures, lost propulsion and drifted into a key support pier. Six construction workers were killed.

Maryland is seeking damages from the ship’s owner and manager, alleging gross negligence. Any recovery would help offset federal emergency expenditures. Multiple additional legal cases related to the collapse remain ongoing.

Attention is now returning to the cause of the disaster, as the National Transportation Safety Board meets today to determine the probable cause of the Dali’s power loss and the sequence of events that led to the fatal structural failure.