MD receives federal environmental approvals for Key Bridge rebuild

Maryland transportation officials on Tuesday received federal environmental approvals necessary for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

The Federal Highway Administration determined that the new Key Bridge, like the vast majority of federal-aid projects, isn’t expected to have a major impact on its surrounding environment.

The new structure is supposed to be built within the collapsed bridge’s right-of-way and have the same four-lane capacity.

State transportation officials have determined that it won’t hinder nearby land-use and development plans, force people or businesses to relocate, alter pre-collapse travel patterns, or bring changes to historic or park and recreational areas.

Baltimore’s Key Bridge destroyed: Everything you need to know

Tuesday’s ruling exempts the state from completing an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement before contractors can move forward with the project, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), an independent state agency responsible for the state’s eight toll facilities, including the Key Bridge.

“Securing this approval marks a major milestone in rebuilding the Key Bridge and reconnecting communities following the March 26 catastrophic collapse,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said in a statement. “This approval from the federal government formally gives MDTA the go ahead to move forward with plans to rebuild the Key Bridge.”

MDTA officials are seeking teams for a $75 million general engineering consultant contract as part of the rebuild project. The agency put out a request for proposals on Friday and is expected to accept applications through mid August, then award a contract in February.

The consultant will help the agency manage and assess project risks, stay on top of costs and scheduling, handle project documentation, work with environmental regulators and other services.

The consultant will also audit and oversee the private company that will design and build the new bridge, which the MDTA is expected to select later in the summer.

Maryland transportation officials have prioritized speed and experience in seeking bids to design and build the bridge.

The design-build team is expected to complete its work and have all bridge lanes open to vehicle traffic by Oct. 15, 2028.

To expedite the project, transportation officials have turned to a progressive design-build process, in which the state awards an initial contract for both engineering and construction, potentially forgoing a competitive bidding process among builders with the hope that the initial team and the state will agree on a guaranteed maximum price before construction starts — about midway through the contract.

The process leaves early pricing open, and the MDTA will award a contract based on who is most qualified for the job.

“In some cases with procurements, we might have things timed for certain approvals and allow ourselves certain windows,” MDTA Executive Director Bruce Gartner said in a phone interview in June. “What we’re saying in this one is that we’re going to be working as quickly as possible.”

Rebuilding the Key Bridge is expected to cost about $1.7 billion, based on the costs of recent projects of a comparable scale and complexity, according to the MDTA.

President Joe Biden in June sent a $4 billion emergency funding request to Congress that includes money for his pledge to pay the entire cost of clearing the collapsed bridge from the Port of Baltimore‘s main federal shipping channel and rebuilding the structure. Whether his pledge comes to fruition is largely up to Congress.

While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers removed debris from the federal channel through which cargo ships enter and exit the Port of Baltimore, the state was responsible for removing debris elsewhere, including from temporary channels through which salvage vessels and commercial ships passed during the 11 weeks that the port was without the the full 700-feet-wide by 50-feet-deep federal channel.

Maryland contracted with the Swedish construction company Skanska, which has a U.S. headquarters in New York, to clear debris.

A $50.3 million contract is expected to cover Skanska’s work removing large sections of highway bridge trusses, steel girders, the main bridge deck and concrete parapets, according to state meeting documents.

The state has covered the contract with Skanska using money set aside from toll revenue, but officials were expected to apply for federal reimbursement.