In March 2024, a container ship struck one of the piers at the Key Bridge Baltimore area, Maryland. This led to the collapse of the bridge that carried 4 road lanes over the Patapsco River. This week, officials have announced that pre-construction of the bridge has officially begun with crews conducting surveys on the land and in the water surrounding the site of the former bridge.
Details on the current status
The work that has begun includes extracting soil samples and mapping the subsurface waterways of the river which will determine the design of the new structure. Furthermore, Maryland Transport Authority (MDTA) is working alongside Kiewit Infrastructure Co for both pre construction and construction of the Key Bridge Maryland project as Kiewit was announced as the project contractor in August of last year. Asof now, MDTA has reassured that there will be minimal disruptions to the traffic in the area or noise pollution. Eventually, there will be increased activity including boring rigs which will be situated on barges of the river to take up samples and small drills, cranes and tugs. MDTA did not disclose what other processes are to come after the initial work is completed.
Also Read World’s highest bridge update: Huajiang grand canyon bridge in China ready for closure
Project Overview
Location: Baltimore, Maryland; Patapsco River
Project contractor: Kiewit Construction
Planning, engineering, construction consultants: WSP, RK&K, and JMT
Completion date: Fall 2018
Scope: 1.7 miles
Key Bridge Maryland Construction Timeline
As for the replacement of the 1.7 mile long bridge, it is expected to be opened in the Fall of 2028. Construction will take place in two phases according to Kiewit. The first phase involves developing the project scope and requirements. Additionally, this phase was contracted out to Kiewit at a cost of US$73 million. Once completed, the second phase will involve final design, engineering and construction and Kiewit will have exclusive negotiating rights for this phase. A price has not been set for this phase of the project.
