New design renderings of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge reconstruction were unveiled on Thursday, showing what the bridge is expected to look like upon completion in the fall of 2028.

The bridge is expected to have a life span of 100 years, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).

The Key Bridge rebuild will feature two 12-foot lanes in each direction, totaling more than two miles.

The minimum clearance from the water to the bridge deck will be above the federal channel, 230 feet. The two bridge towers will be more than 600 feet tall.

In December 2024, Maryland lawmakers said that the federal government would cover the full cost of the rebuild, which is expected to be approximately $2 billion. 

U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin said the funding for the Key Bridge rebuild was wrapped into last year's federal spending bill.

Where we stand with the Key Bridge rebuild

Construction crews recently provided an update on the Key Bridge demolition efforts, reporting that about 10,000 tons of concrete slabs that made up the bridge deck of bridge were removed from the water and stockpiled at the site waiting to be recycled.

Some of the concrete will be used as part of the ongoing rebuild project for the new Key Bridge.

The demolition efforts, which began in the summer, in the Patapsco River, will take several months with the use of heavy machinery, the state warned. 

In early October, the first test piles were installed in the Patapsco River, which will determine the load-bearing capacity and confirm the overall design's integrity and feasibility. The piles will support a floating pier, which is built to absorb impact.

According to the MDTA, the test piles are eight feet in diameter and more than 200 feet long. Some of those test piles may be reused in the permanent bridge.

"We're going to place some testing equipment on them that exerts a lot of force, and then that tells us a lot of key information about the geotechnical conditions below ground," Jason Stolicny, the deputy director at MDTA, said last month. "They should be able to redirect or absorb an impact without compromising the bridge structure." 

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse

Baltimore's iconic Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River on March 26, 2024, after it was struck by the Dali, a 948-foot cargo ship that was trying to depart from the Port of Baltimore. 

The collapse killed six construction workers and closed the Port of Baltimore 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. 

The Dali lost power several times before ultimately colliding with the bridge, according to a report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

In March 2025, the NTSB blamed the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) for failing to conduct a vulnerability assessment. The NTSB said the assessment would have helped identify structural risks on the bridge before the collision.

"The Key Bridge, like other bridges in America, was approved and permitted by the federal government, and in compliance with those permits," MDTA said in response to the report.