Maryland Plans to Replace its Contractor for Key Bridge Reconstruction
The state of Maryland has decided to change contractors for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which was destroyed by a ship strike in March 2024.
The demolition of the wreckage was a highly complex salvage operation, and took months to complete. In the meantime, the state's engineers and consultants began designing a bigger, better replacement: a cable-stayed design built to modern standards for survivability, with 300 feet of additional width in the center span and an extra 45 feet of air draft.
Maryland initially awarded the reconstruction project to Kiewit Corporation, a heavy infrastructure contractor with 140 years of history in industrial and transportation projects. At the time of the award, independent estimates put the cost of a replacement bridge in the range of about $1.8 billion.
Kiewit has gotten under way on the first phase of design and pre-construction work, but the state has concerns about cost for the rest of the project, which has more than doubled. Kiewit's current estimate runs in the range of $5 billion, the state said, and this is more than Maryland is willing to pay. Kiewit will not be retained for phase two of construction, according to Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).
"After weeks of engagement, it became evident that the contractor’s proposed price and timeline for moving forward were unreasonably high and therefore unacceptable," said Moore in a statement.
Kiewit will remain engaged and working on the project for at least the remainder of 2026 under an off-ramping option, which was written into the original contract and MDTA has now activated. Remaining "phase one" scope of work includes construction of a temporary trestle, installation of bridge foundations and further development of the bridge's design.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) remains engaged in the project, and the state says that it plans to work in "lockstep" with federal partners to move the project forward.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy - who had been pushing Maryland to rebid the contract - welcomed the decision, and said that a new competitive round of bidding would help "secure the best possible team for hardworking American taxpayers."
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Next steps include an industry forum to be held at the end of May, followed by a tender process to select a new contractor.
The process of switching contractors could introduce delays into the timeline for reconstruction. The state had hoped to have a new bridge in place and open to traffic in 2030.
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