Two years into one of the most closely watched infrastructure jobs in the country, Maryland is starting over on its builder. The state is ending its arrangement with Kiewit, the design-builder for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and will look for a new contractor on the open market. The reason is money.
The numbers stopped adding up
Maryland Transportation Authority officials said Kiewit’s estimates ran too high. U.S. Rep. Andy Harris said the figure climbed to ‘as high as 8 or 9’ billion dollars during negotiations, well above the $4.3 to $5.2 billion range MDTA had floated publicly, with an opening targeted for late 2030. The original hope, back when the collapse was fresh, was a 2028 reopening.
Governor Wes Moore framed the overruns as forces outside the state’s control. Trade policies out of Washington, he said, have raised prices on essential materials, echoing the tariff pressure now hitting cement and steel. Whatever the cause, restarting the procurement is a gamble that a fresh bid comes in lower even after months of lost time.
What a builder swap costs
Changing horses this deep into a megaproject is rarely cheap. A new contractor has to re-price the work, re-mobilize, and re-earn the trust of federal funders who are pushing to hold down costs. It can also reset the schedule, which is why the move risks pushing the crossing past 2030. Maryland is betting the market delivers a number it can defend to Washington and to Baltimore’s port, which has run without its beltway bridge since March 2024.
The rebuild sits alongside other troubled mega-spans in scope and stakes. Alabama’s I-10 Mobile River Bridge took years to reach a fundable plan for similar reasons. Getting the price right, it turns out, is harder than getting the design right. Follow the project on Exchange’s Francis Scott Key Bridge listing.