Maryland hosts congressional lawmakers aboard boat for rare look at Key Bridge rebuild in Baltimore
Key members of Congress in charge of committees that oversee appropriations saw firsthand the work that continues on the construction to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
State leaders and members of Congress on Monday boarded an icebreaker to tour the site that’s floating in the middle of the Patapsco River and get a rare up-close look at the project.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore hosted a bipartisan boat tour for the Congressional Democrats of “Team Maryland” and Republicans who included U.S. Sen. Shelly Capito, of West Virginia, and chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, and U.S. Rep. Steven Womack, of Arkansas, and chair of the House Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies.
“We’re not letting partisan lines get in the way of progress for the American people,” Moore said.
What leaders saw while on the water
The site is a flotilla that includes two of the largest, floating barges on the East Coast. Crews are currently working on the foundations for the new main bridge.
The new pylons will rise 600 feet above the water, almost double the old ones, which were 300 feet.
According to the project manager for the state, there are 80 foundation piles installed so far that are 8 feet in diameter. At the same time, crews are building temporary work platforms, all marine-based, that add another layer of complexity to the rebuild.
“The contractor, Kiewit, is still under contract with us, still working. (They) haven’t stopped. Six of their cranes are out here right now, wrapping up that trestle work platform. The pile-driving operation will continue through at least the end of this year,” said Jim Harkness, the project’s chief engineer.
State shows appropriations leaders Key Bridge progress
State leaders saw the boat ride as a chance to show congressional appropriators what the federal government is paying for and the progress on the more than 2-mile-long replacement bridge with a current estimated cost of between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion.
“It was really rewarding to see Sen. Capito and Rep. Womack continue to be interested in and supportive of the work that’s happening here,” said U.S. Rep. Johnny Olszewski, D-District 2.
11 TV Hill video below: Progress rebuilding the Key Bridge (June 2026)
Upon returning to dry land, both GOP lawmakers discussed their support for the project, as well as reflected on lessons learned for the future.
“This is going to be open in record time and everybody will benefit, particularly the nation,” Womack said.
“Maybe don’t put an estimate out until you’re really sure what the estimate might be, just saying,” Capito said in reference to the state’s initial estimate of $1.9 billion before it increased.
State officials explained how the project has since been broken up into four different contracts:
- One for demolition of remaining portions of the old bridge,
- Another for building the approach roadways on each side,
- A third for miscellaneous pile driving, and,
- A fourth for the main cable-stay portion that’s over the water and will be a separate design-build contract.
“This is going to be open in record time and everybody will benefit, particularly the nation.”
“The reason we decided to break up the phases is because we want to hold tight on watching that we can do this cost effectively and watching the ballooning of the cost for the rebuild of the bridge,” Moore said.
Maryland U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-District 7, remarked how there is a human side to this massive public works project.
“There’s a double meaning in all this: Yes, we can rebuild a bridge, but can we rebuild the lives and the families that have lost loved ones?” Mfume said.
Officials said the pile-driving operation will continue through at least the end of this year.
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