Bridging Maryland Partnership secures $75 million engineering contract for Key Bridge rebuild

Todd Karpovich, Baltimore Sun on Jan 8, 2025

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BALTIMORE — The Maryland Board of Public Works approved a $75 million general engineering consultant services contract for the Key Bridge rebuild project on Wednesday.

Bridging Maryland Partnership — a joint venture of WSP USA in New York, Baltimore-based RK&K, and Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson in Cockeysville — was initially selected by the Maryland Transportation Authority to oversee the project. The partnership now has approval to perform planning, engineering, construction management and program support services to rebuild the Key Bridge.

“Bridging Maryland Partnership is going to be responsible for ensuring that this bridge is built safely, that it is built sustainably and smoothly, and importantly, as swiftly as possible,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said at the Department of Public Works meeting on Wednesday.

A Dali container ship lost power before colliding with the Key Bridge on March 26. Six highway construction workers were killed when the bridge collapsed.

“It was one of the darkest days in Maryland’s history,” Moore said. “We did and continue to mourn the loss of those six Marylanders in the tragedy.”

The new Key Bridge is expected to be completed by October 2028 and will cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, according to state officials. Congress has approved full funding for the project.

The MDTA released a request for proposals on July 19, inviting teams to submit technical proposals for the general engineering consultant contract. The proposals, received at the end of September, were evaluated by the MDTA selection committee, and the contract was awarded to the team with the highest-ranked technical proposal. The open-ended, task-order-based contract has a 31.5% disadvantaged business enterprise goal and will not exceed five years.

Kiewit Infrastructure Co. was awarded a contract by MDTA on Aug. 29 to complete the design.

Bridging Maryland Partnership will also provide risk management and analyses, in addition to establishing, reviewing, tracking and monitoring costs and schedules, among other services.

This month, construction crews on barges, drills, cranes, tugs and service vessels will begin drilling to collect soil samples and map subsurface waterways. Officials with the MDTA said noise impacts and traffic disruptions will be minimal, and will not significantly impact navigation on the Patapsco River.

In preparation for the rebuild, a video featuring MDTA Chief Engineer Jim Harkness was produced to provide information on pre-construction activities.

In addition, a “Key Bridge Rebuild” Facebook page was created for sharing real-time updates, key milestones and progress reports. Other communication resources for the Key Bridge Rebuild include the website KeyBridgeRebuild.com, where residents can subscribe to a mailing list.

“This is a monumental project for the region, and we’re committed to keeping the public informed every step of the way,” Maryland Transportation Secretary and MDTA Chairman Paul J. Wiedefeld said in a statement. “These early activities are crucial in setting the foundation for a safe, efficient and sustainable bridge for the future.”

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