SPARROWS POINT, Maryland — Nearly a year after the tragic fall of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland officials presented their plans for a new bridge on Tuesday. The new bridge will be taller and have better protection against ships hitting it.
The state’s first cable-stayed bridge could be finished by 2028 and might cost more than $1.7 billion.
Officials said the new bridge, with its elegant shape and careful design, will update Baltimore’s skyline and symbolize strength, progress, and economic growth. The design includes two towers with wires stretching down to the deck.
“This is a great day for the state of Maryland,” Gov. Wes Moore said at a news conference late Tuesday morning. “But it’s not lost on me that today’s triumph was born out of tragedy.”
The original Key Bridge, a 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span at the mouth of Baltimore’s harbor, took five years to build and opened to traffic in 1977. It linked different industrial areas near the ports around Baltimore and made it easy for cars to avoid downtown.
A huge container ship lost power and crashed into a column, destroying the bridge. On March 26, the fall killed six construction workers who were fixing potholes when the structure fell apart. Baltimore’s port was shut down for several months after the fall, and traffic jams are still a problem for drivers in the area.
Officials quickly agreed to rebuild the bridge, which is an important landmark and key part of the transportation system in Baltimore.
Officials announced on Tuesday that the remaining parts will be torn down this spring, and then construction of the new building will begin.
They held the press conference on Tuesday at Tradepoint Atlantic, a shipping center in the Port of Baltimore that was important in the cleanup and recovery after the collapse. The facility is improving the old Bethlehem Steel plant site northeast of Baltimore to support the growing marine shipping industry in the area.
“Maryland connects America to the rest of the world.” We deliver cars from Michigan to the market. We supply sugars and spices to Louisiana. “We transport farm equipment from the East Coast to the Midwest,” said Moore. “Business and trade are essential to our state, and we will keep investing in them to uphold our traditions.”
In August, the state gave a $73 million contract for the first part of the rebuild to Kiewit Infrastructure, a well-known construction and engineering company.
Officials said the project will happen in two stages. The first stage will focus on the design and other important preparations before building starts. Moore offered to “hire many people from Maryland” during the process.
Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said the plan will use the newest technology to protect the piers. This is very important because ships are getting larger and carrying more cargo. The bridge will be higher to allow more space underneath it. He said the plans were created considering the project’s cost and how long it would take to build.
“Although this is a lovely bridge, it will also serve as a functional bridge for a city that is busy,” Wiedefeld said.
The federal government will pay for the entire cost of the rebuilding. Congress recently approved a spending bill that included money for the project.
Officials believe that federal taxpayers will eventually be reimbursed through insurance payments and losses, but it might take some time. A large legal case will decide who is responsible for what could be one of the costliest maritime disasters in U.S. history.
The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its final report on the collapse, though officials said a loose cable in the ship’s electrical switchboard likely contributed to its power problems. Federal agents came on board the cargo ship Dali as part of a criminal probe last year.
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