According to foreign media reports, the Maryland Transportation Authority has increased the budget for the reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore from the previous $1.9 billion to between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion.
Additionally, the reconstruction timeline has been extended, with the bridge now expected to be completed in 2030, rather than the previously estimated 2028.
The rising costs of the bridge reconstruction come just one day before the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is scheduled to hold a public meeting to determine the specific cause of the collision between the container ship Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the Port of Baltimore, which led to the bridge’s collapse and the deaths of six workers.
Acting Transportation Secretary and Maryland Transportation Authority Chair Samantha J. Biddle stated: “As the design work progresses and pre-construction work is underway, the budget situation has become increasingly clear. From the initial estimate made less than two weeks after the original tragedy to the present, material costs for all aspects of the project have risen significantly.”
The updated cost range and construction timeline are directly related to increased material costs and the design of a robust pier protection system intended to safeguard the new bridge, which is designed to reduce the likelihood of future vessel impacts on the bridge piers.
The incident is expected to become the focus of protracted legal proceedings.
In August of this year, the shipowner, Grace Ocean Private Ltd, and the ship management company, Synergy Marine Pte Ltd, filed a lawsuit against the South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries, alleging that the shipyard designed a high-voltage switchboard with serious defects, which the owner and management companies believe is the culprit of the accident.
A 41-page report on the ship’s electrical system, released by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board in September 2024, pointed out that a loose cable connection discovered during an inspection in April 2024 led to the ship’s power loss.
In September 2024, the State of Maryland filed a significant lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, Northern Division, regarding the doubling of the bridge reconstruction costs, naming the shipowner Grace Ocean Private Ltd and the ship management company Synergy Marine Pte Ltd as defendants.
The state is seeking compensation covering the full cost of replacing the bridge, lost revenue from tolls and taxes, natural resource damages and pollution, as well as costs related to emergency response, salvage, removal of bridge segments, and various benefit payments to affected businesses and workers.
Compiled by Shipping Online.
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