How much work has been completed on the Key Bridge in Maryland?

The state of Maryland is seeking a new contractor for phase 2 of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, but officials say work is on target for a 2030 opening.

Here's what we know about the progress made on the Baltimore bridge.

Last winter, the Maryland Transportation Authority said land demolition and the test pile program had been completed, with crews beginning foundation work and building temporary structures to support construction.

Officials said work continued this spring, largely focused on advancing early construction and ongoing offsite manufacturing.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said last month most of the old Key Bridge had been removed from the construction sites, though "several sections of the old bridge piers remain in the water."

Although Kiewit Infrastructure was dropped from the project, Moore said it will complete phase 1 of the project. The firm is expected to pocket more than $700 million of federal money for its contributions.

"Phase 1 services include development of preliminary plans, design reports, performance requirements for Final Design, specifications for construction, development of inspection and maintenance procedures of the unique and complex bridge features, perform community outreach and solicit public input, complete necessary field explorations, surveys, and subsurface investigations, OPCC and BPP cost estimates, and establish parameters for the Phase 2 packages," according to a state report from June 2025.

Completion of the initial phase is expected to last through the end of the year, according to the MDTA.

Moore previously called the rebuild the "fastest-moving large infrastructure project in the United States."

"Yet while the Dali struck the Key Bridge during my tenure, I plan to be the governor who cuts the ribbon to reopen it," Moore said in March. "Our administration has taken decisive action by securing federal emergency funding, fast-tracking environmental reviews, mobilizing design-build partnerships and continuing close cooperation with the federal administration to accelerate reconstruction."UMBC

Officials are targeting a 2030 completion of the project, but locals are less optimistic. In a poll conducted earlier this month by University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 55% of Baltimore County residents said they are "not at all" or only "a little" confident the bridge will be built by then.

Before its collapse, the bridge carried about 34,000 vehicles a day, serving as a key route around Baltimore.

What happened to the Key Bridge?

Six construction workers died March 26, 2024, when a cargo ship struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, sending it collapsing into the Patapsco River.

Investigators considered the deadly accident "preventable," saying a loose wire on the 984-foot container ship led to a power failure that caused the boat to strike a pier that supported the central span of the bridge.

Federal officials said the bridge collapse impacted more than a million people in the Baltimore area.

"The collapse of one of the region's most vital infrastructure arteries brought shipping at the Port of Baltimore to a complete halt, disrupted the livelihoods of thousands of workers, rerouted traffic through communities already bearing disproportionate burdens, and triggered economic ripple effects still being felt across the state," Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown previously said.