It’s been nearly six months since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore, when six construction workers died in the Patapsco River, and two more were injured.
Kiewit Infrastructure Corporation—based in Omaha, Nebraska—was recently awarded a $73 million contract to design and build the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement. This happened just days before the state of Maryland announced it is filing a lawsuit against Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine, the Singaporean conglomerates whose cargo ship, M/V DALI, wrecked the bridge on March 26.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown—on behalf of the state of Maryland, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland Port Administration, and Maryland Department of the Environment—said the state is seeking $100 million in damages.
“Maryland will rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge, but Marylanders should not have to pay for the DALI owner’s and manager’s negligence and incompetence,” Brown said in statement. Brown’s comment was in relation to a recently completed investigation, which concluded that the accident was entirely preventable.
On September 19, bereaved family members of deceased construction workers also announced they will sue Grace Ocean and Synergy Marine for an unspecified amount. “It’s our belief that the crew of the Dali could foresee this incident taking place,” one attorney representing family members of a victim told Reuters.
As for the design of the replacement bridge, drawings from Kiewit have not yet been released. In May, Maryland Governor Wes Moore released an RFP calling for architects and engineers to redesign Francis Scott Key Bridge. Prior to the RFP, Carlo Ratti Associati teamed up with WeBuild and Michel Virlogeux to reimagine the bridge, as reported by AN.
Kiewit Infrastructure Corporation’s bid was ultimately deemed “most advantageous” to the state. The company’s submittal came in at an estimated $1.23 billion cost, which was the highest of the three finalists. But for stakeholders, Kiewit’s technical know-how put them on top.
“We were not looking at pricing as much as we were consideration of the qualifications of the proposers,” said Maryland Department of the Environment chief engineer Jim Harkness.
To streamline construction, Maryland Department of the Environment is using what it calls a Progressive Design-Build process. This brings the project delivery team under one entity and a single contract for both design and construction services.
Kiewit was been active in the mid-Atlantic region well before it clinched this major contract. It’s also the firm modernizing Metro stations in Washington, D.C. and the Arlington Memorial Bridge.
Design will take one year, officials said. Construction on the new Francis Scott Key Bridge will begin in 2025 and complete in 2028.
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