Latest news with #KeyBridgeRebuild
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Maryland agencies launch college internship program for Key Bridge rebuilt project
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) is partnering with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) to create paid internship opportunities for college students working on the Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction project. The bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, after being struck by the cargo ship DALI, which lost power before the collision. Six construction workers died in the collapse, which disrupted port operations and regional traffic for months. The Key Bridge Rebuild Internship Program will provide hands-on experience for undergraduate and graduate students from four major Maryland universities as the state works to replace the bridge that collapsed one year ago. Who will participate in the program? During the program, both undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Maryland College Park, Morgan State University, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Johns Hopkins University will work with professional engineers and project stakeholders on the rebuild project. More than 80 students majoring in civil engineering, mechanical engineering, environmental science, computer science, information systems, business technology, and communications applied for the program, the MHEC said. Ten students have been selected for the inaugural session this summer. Where does the Key Bridge rebuild stand now? The bridge reconstruction project is expected to cost about $2 billion and is expected to take about four years to complete. Pre-construction activities began in January 2025, including inspections of nearby properties, riverbed scanning, and soil sample collection. In February, the MDTA authorized three contracts worth $20 million each for construction management and inspection services. A new cable-stay design revealed in February shows that the new structure will visually resemble the original bridge while implementing structural improvements. The new Key Bridge will be taller to better accommodate ship traffic, with the federal shipping channel expanding from 700 to 1,000 feet wide and the base raised by 45 feet to a height of 230 feet. Demolition of remaining bridge pillars is scheduled to begin this spring, with in-water construction expected to start in fall 2025.
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
MDTA awards $60M in construction, inspection contracts for Key Bridge rebuild project
The Maryland Transportation Authority approved three contracts, each worth $20 million, for management and inspection services contracts in the Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction project. The deals were awarded Wednesday to Greenman-Pederson Inc./Gannett Fleming Inc., a joint venture; Michael Baker International Inc./STV, Inc., a joint venture; and AECOM Technical Services Inc. The firms will provide various services, including constructability reviews, detailed inspections of all construction work and assistance to MDTA's compliance officers with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise goals associated with the project. 'The awarding of the Construction Management and Inspection Services contracts is a critical next step in the Key Bridge Rebuild process,' MDTA spokesperson Bradley Tanner said. 'The services performed by the awardees are essential to ensuring compliance and progress of the rebuild.' Preconstruction work on the new bridge is already underway, and the bridge is expected to be completed by October 2028. The replacement bridge is expected to cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, according to state officials. Congress approved full funding for the project in December. Kiewit Corp., a Nebraska-based construction giant, was chosen as its designer and builder last summer. MDTA released a request for proposals on Sept. 9, 2024, inviting teams to submit technical proposals for the construction management and inspection services contract. The contracts were awarded to the three teams with the highest ranked technical proposals. The open-ended, task-order-based contracts each have a 33% DBE goal and a duration of five years. The consultant teams will ensure the process meets the needs and expectations of the design and permits, MDTA officials said. On Feb. 4, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore unveiled the design of the new Key Bridge with a new, taller cable-stayed bridge that will reconnect Curtis Bay and Dundalk. The design 'honors the architectural tradition' of the bridge, using 'the most advanced industry standards and best materials available,' as the state did when building the original Key Bridge in the 1970s, Moore said. On March 26, 2024, the Dali had just left the Port of Baltimore for an intended months-long voyage to Sri Lanka when the container ship experienced a reported power outage near the Baltimore bridge and smashed into one of its principal supporting piers around 1:30 a.m. The bridge crumbled instantly after being hit by the ship, which weighed more than 112,000 tons loaded with freight. A crew of workers repairing potholes on Interstate 695 tumbled into the frigid river below. Six highway construction workers were killed, and maritime traffic into the port ceased for weeks. Officials have pledged to hold the Dali's owner and operator accountable for the crash, suing Grace Ocean Private Ltd. and Synergy Marine Private Ltd. amid an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board. Initiatives in support of the rebuild project span across the region, with the Community College of Baltimore County launching a new welding program at its Dundalk campus that will help students find job opportunities working on the Key Bridge project and other construction sites. The college currently partners with Earlbeck Gases and Technologies at an off-campus facility that taught 125 students in 2024. Construction will begin on the Dundalk campus this summer with plans to enroll an additional 100 to 125 students per year beginning in the fall of 2026, according to Jay Bouis, assistant dean for Applied Tech and Logistics at CCBC. According to the American Welding Society, there is a growing demand for welders due to an aging workforce, with nearly 45 percent of current welders being over the age of 45. 'The Key Bridge is one of the things that is causing the college to take a hard look at what we are offering and how we can better meet the needs of the community now and in the future,' Bouis said. Have a news tip? Contact Todd Karpovich at tkarpovich@ or on X as @ToddKarpovich.
Yahoo
05-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Baltimore's Key Bridge redesign: How does it compare to the original?
BALTIMORE — The Key Bridge's replacement should be built by October 2028. While we may not know the final cost for the project or if it will bear Francis Scott Key's name, the Maryland Transportation Authority has released some facts and figures about the redesign. 'The new bridge will be Maryland's first highway cable-stayed bridge, constructed according to the most advanced industry standards and best infrastructure design practices,' the Key Bridge Rebuild website created by MDTA says. With an expected lifespan of more than a century, the MDTA said the new bridge will be longer, taller and have more distance between its supports than the old Key Bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River in March when the freighter ship Dali lost power and crashed into a support pillar. Six construction workers on the bridge died. The added length and height should create more clearance for large ships. The ever-increasing size of cargo ships was a potential challenge for the previous span, which was built in the 1970s. Where the old bridge had a vertical clearance of 185 feet, the new one will have a minimum 230 feet clearance between the water and the bridge deck. The new bridge will be around 2 miles, adding 0.3 miles in length from Key Bridge's 1.7 miles. The distance between the main supports will increase by about 400 feet, , from 1,209 feet to 1,600 feet. The new bridge will have two 12-foot lanes in each direction, according to the website. For those concerned about the impact a larger structure might have on Baltimore's skyline, a FAQ on the Key Bridge Rebuild website said it should be comparable with the old bridge. 'While the replacement bridge will be taller and wider than the former Key Bridge, that bridge was also a large structure and the second longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area,' it said. 'Therefore, the visual impacts of the new structure are consistent with the previous visual landscape and are not expected to be significant.' Some reconstruction work has already begun,, with crews collecting soil samples and conducting underwater mapping. ---------
