Posted on November 17, 2025
The Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild has been delayed, with a late 2030 completion date and a budget increase to between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Due to discoveries made during after the design phase and during the pre-construction phase for the rebuild, material costs and the scope of the Key Bridge project have “increased drastically,” according to Samantha J. Biddle, acting transportation secretary and MdTA chair.
“The updated cost range and schedule are directly correlated to increased material costs and to a robust pier protection system designed to protect the new Key Bridge and reduce the likelihood of a future ship strike to the bridge’s foundational piers,” Biddle said in a news release Monday.
The original budget for the Key Bridge rebuild was between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion and the open to traffic date was 2028. The initial estimate and preliminary plan were formed and released two weeks after the bridge’s collapse in March 2024 when the container ship Dali lost power and slammed into a main support pier. The collapse killed six construction workers who were doing repairs on the bridge.
The MDTA said that economic conditions and building material costs have increased “dramatically” since then. The Key Bridge rebuild was 70% designed within 14 months of the bridge’s collapse.
According to the Federal Highway Administration, highway construction costs have increased by 72% within the last five years, affecting raw materials and labor costs. The increased length of the bridge’s main span, expanded to 1,655 feet, required the overall span of the bridge and height of the main piers to increase to accommodate new American Association of State Highway and Transportation guidelines and modern, larger marine traffic.
“The State has and will continue to make substantial financial commitments and contributions to support the Key Bridge reconstruction—including advancing upfront construction costs and contributing hundreds of millions of dollars in insurance proceeds toward the rebuilding effort,” according to the MDTA statement.
MDTA is also pursuing damages from the Dali, the ship that crashed into the Key Bridge and caused the collapse last year, to aid in paying for the bridge’s construction. Any funds received will be used on the bridge’s reconstruction to reduce taxpayer burden.
Gov. Wes Moore said the rise in cost for the bridge were caused by federal changes, trade policies implemented by President Donald Trump and overall economic conditions. Trump threatened funding for Key Bridge due to concerns about “unconstitutional DEI practices.”
“We remain committed to rebuilding as safely, quickly, and efficiently as possible,” Moore said in a statement Monday. “We continue to move forward in our efforts to pursue litigation against those responsible, so taxpayers aren’t on the hook. While the timeline has shifted and is not what we initially hoped for, I have full confidence in our team. They are working diligently to deliver a new gateway to the global economy that will endure for generations to come.”
Moore said he will continue to work with the Trump administration to find ways to “reduce costs and rebuild faster.”
Recently, the family of Castillo Cabrera, one of the six men killed during the bridge’s collapse, entered settlement talks with the Dali’s owners.
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to release its findings from an investigation of Dali’s crash into Key Bridge on Tuesday.
