Baltimore's bridge collapsed 2 years ago. Where does the Key Bridge rebuild stand?

Two years after the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, Maryland officials say the rebuild is beginning to take shape, with major design milestones reached and construction moving into its next phase.

The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) said during a press call on Wednesday that demolition of the remaining structure was wrapped up earlier this year, and the design of the new bridge is now about 70% complete.

"Being able to reach the 70% design milestone on over a two-mile-long, cable-stayed complex structure in only 14 months," said Jim Harkness, chief engineer for MDTA. "Those efforts alone can take five to seven years on average."

MDTA officials say the current target to reopen the Key Bridge to traffic is by the end of 2030. They expect to have a clearer cost estimate and construction timeline in the coming months.  

In November 2025, MDTA said the updated estimated cost of the Key Bridge rebuild would be more than initially projected, between $4.3 and $5.2 billion.

Plans this summer to finalize design and cost

Officials say the bridge design is expected to be finished by June. At that point, the state plans to finalize the project's cost and construction timeline.

Work is already underway on the water, where crews are beginning to build the bridge's foundation.

Using a 500-ton crane, crews are driving massive steel piles deep into the riverbed, creating the base for the bridge's future pylons.

"More than 10 million pounds of force we were putting onto the test pile to confirm its capacity," Harkness said.

Challenges with the bridge project

Engineers say the project comes with significant challenges, including working within an active federal navigation channel.

"We have to work with a live federal navigation channel at the same time, so there are a lot of complexities with this project, and the team has really worked to design their way through that," Harkness said.

Business impacts

While progress continues, some local businesses say they are still feeling the impact of the bridge collapse, which at the time, cut off customers nearly immediately.

"When I was looking at how much business I had lost, it was to the tune of about 40%," said Laura Quintana, owner of Little Crystal Bijoux in Dundalk.

Quintana said rebuilding the bridge will do more than restore business; it will reconnect communities.

"It'll be nice to reconnect and to have that really vital part of our infrastructure back, for commuting, for business, and even just seeing friends," she said.

Deadly Key Bridge collapse

Thursday, March 26, marks two years since a large cargo ship, the Dali, lost electrical power and crashed into the Key Bridge, which left Baltimore and the state paralyzed..

Around 1:30 a.m., the 948-foot Dali struck the bridge after leaving the Port of Baltimore

Six construction workers were killed and the Port of Baltimore was shutdown for nearly three months. The closure prompted shipping delays and a host of concerns from businesses across the region. 

The crash also opened the door for billions of dollars in lawsuits.