The Baltimore Bridge

It’s not in the headlines any more but the Francis Scott Key Bridge, brought down by having been struck by a container ship last month, is still impeding travel in the Baltimore area. John D. Schulz reports in Logistics Management:

It will take just over four years and up to $1.9 billion to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was hit by a cargo ship and fell into the Patapsco River, according to an estimate by the Maryland Department of Transportation.

The state plans to build a new span by the fall of 2028, spokesman David Broughton said. He also said it will likely cost anywhere from $1.7 billion-to-$1.9 billion to rebuild the span after the container ship Dali lost power and slammed into one of the bridge’s support columns.

Experts initially estimated it would take between two and 15 years to replace the bridge, which closed the loop of the Baltimore Beltway when it opened in 1977.

The March 26 collision with the massive ship sent a span of the bridge plummeting into the Patapsco River. The result closed maritime traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore because access to the harbor was blocked. The Baltimore port is the nation’s 11th-largest and tops in the number of imported cars and light trucks.

The main channel has yet to reopen. Smaller vessels are now able to pass while larger container ships continue to be blocked. Bodies continues to be discovered.