Kiewit Infrastructure Co. has been tapped to rebuild Baltimore’s I-695/Francis Scott Key Bridge under a progressive design-build procurement announced Aug. 29 by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). Work on the expected four-year reconstruction effort is scheduled to begin next year.

The agency’s approval of an initial $73-million contract to the Omaha, Neb.-based firm for project development follows a summer-long evaluation of proposals to replace the Patapsco River crossing that collapsed on March 26 after a support pylon was struck by the container vessel M/V Dali. The incident, which killed six construction workers and crippled Baltimore’s maritime industry for more than two months while bridge debris was removed from the channel, remains under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.

MDTA shortlisted three teams for the assignment. Kiewit’s bid of $1.2 billion for the entire rebuild effort was $20 million more than the next highest offer, submitted by Flatiron Halmar Dragados Joint Ventures, and more than $41 million above a bid submitted by Lane Construction and its Italian parent company, Webuild. MDTA rejected a fourth bid submitted by Archer Western/Traylor Brothers Joint Venture, citing a DBE submission that “did not comply with the contractual requirements.” The joint venture’s appeal of the decision was subsequently rejected by the agency. MDTA has set a DBE participation target for the rebuild of 31.5%.

MDTA’s evaluation criteria put technical qualifications ahead of price. The agency said in a statement that Kiewit’s proposal was “deemed most advantageous to the State.” The agency also noted that the project’s scope of work and accelerated timeline that targets completion in Fall 2028, “will require a substantial amount of skilled labor to complete the construction expeditiously, safely and reliably.”

After developing the project scope and requirements in collaboration with MDTA and project stakeholders under the initial contract, Kiewit will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes project final design, engineering and construction, as well as demolition of ramps, dolphins and other structures remaining from the original Key Bridge. Incentives will be added to accelerate completion. In the event a guaranteed maximum price is not agreed upon, MDTA says it will deliver the work under a separate contracting mechanism.

MDTA also is in the process of selecting an engineering representative for the rebuild. That $75-million contract is expected to be awarded in January 2025.

The project has already received a categorical exemption from the Federal Highway Administration, allowing the rebuild to take place in the right-of-way of the original Key Bridge without a full environmental review. While Maryland state officials have repeatedly mentioned cable-stay as the most likely design, the new bridge will be a far cry from it’s 1970s-era through-truss predecessor.

To more safely accommodate ever-larger container vessels accessing the Port of Baltimore, for example, MDTA says the longer 2.4-mile structure will rise to a height of 230 ft above the river—45 ft higher than the original structure—while the width between the main span pylons will be increased from 1,200 ft to 1,400 ft. 

Less clear is who will pay for the rebuild project. Despite President Joe Biden’s pledge in March of full federal funding for the project and intense lobbying of Congress by Maryland’s political leaders, progress on any rebuild-related legislation appears unlikely until after the November election. Earlier this month, MDTA received a $350 million insurance payout from Chubb for a “property and business interruption” policy on the original Key Bridge.

The text of this article has been updated to reflect new information.