Kiewit Infrastructure Co. has been selected to complete the first phase of the project to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) board unanimously voted to award Kiewit the contract for the first of the project’s two phases at its Aug. 29 meeting.
Although the total cost for the first phase has yet to be determined, MDTA Director of Procurement Donna DiCerbo said the contract will not exceed $73 million.
“This contract will utilize a progressive design-build process that will form a partnership between MDTA and the designer-builder with the goals of mitigating risk, streamlining the design process, improving the decision-making process, and developing a project that best meets the goals of the FSK bridge replacement,” DiCerbo said at the meeting.
The reconstructed bridge is anticipated to open in fall 2028. The first phase of the project, development, is projected to take 12 months. Upon completion of Phase 1, Kiewit will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes final design, engineering, and construction.
The board first began soliciting bids for the project at the end of May—about two months after a cargo ship collided with one of the bridge’s supporting pillars, causing it to collapse into the Patapsco River.
The March 26 incident resulted in the deaths of six construction workers. Two others were rescued from the frigid water.
In evaluating bids for the bridge’s reconstruction, MDTA Chief Engineer Jim Harkness said the selection committee weighted the firms’ qualifications higher than their cost estimates.
“We were looking at their proposed project approach, the collaboration, how they manage projects, how they handle permitting, and also how they mitigate risks,” Harkness said at the meeting.
“And then, also, just cost estimating. Because we started this project with almost no design from which to start from, which is why technical was higher than pricing.”
DiCerbo said Kiewit was ranked first technically and third financially, making the firm the best choice overall.
Harkness said the MDTA would be working closely with the Kiewit team throughout the development phase to gather necessary information and updates.
He said that 50 to 60 percent of the design process would need to be completed to estimate a final cost.
The MDTA is now evaluating proposals for a general engineering consultant to serve as its engineering representative for the rebuild. The board is expected to award that $75 million contract in January.
