Rebuilding collapsed Baltimore bridge will cost up to $1.9bn, say Maryland officials

The cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore — which collapsed in March after a container ship smashed into one of its support pillars — will be between $1.7bn and $1.9bn.

Maryland transportation officials say they estimate that the reconstruction will finish in the fall of 2028.

The bridge collapsed on 26 March when the container ship Dali crashed into one of the bridge's support legs. Eight construction workers were on the bridge at the time of the collapse and were tossed into the water. Two of the men were rescued while the remaining six died.

Chubb, the company that insured the bridge, will pay $350m to the state for the bridge repairs, which will account for only a fraction of the total cost to rebuild, The Wall Street Journal reports.

In addition to the insurance money, federal funds will also go toward the project.

Governor Wes Moore has met with members of the House Appropriations Committee to hammer out the details of federal funding that will go toward rebuilding the bridge. Shortly after the collapse, Joe Biden said federal cash would be made available to assist the state's project.

"We're gonna move Heaven and Earth to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as humanly possible," Mr Biden said at the time.

On 11 April, Maryland Congressional leaders introduced the Baltimore BRIDGE Relief Act, which would have the federal government cover 100 per cent of the cost of the bridge replacement project.

The bill was introduced by Maryland Democratic Senators Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, along with state Representative Kweisi Mfume and other members of the state congress, CBS News reports.

"The federal government is an essential partner in this gargantuan task of reopening the Port of Baltimore shipping channel and replacing the bridge with one built for modern-day commerce and travel needs," Mr Cardin said in a statement.

Mr Biden said that he believed the federal government should cover the full cost of the replacement following the bridge collapse, and said at the time he expected to have Congress's support on the issue.

Since then, the federal government released $60m in emergency relief funding.

"This is a national issue. I believe we have strong bipartisan support for the traditional 100% reimbursements," Mr Cardin said. "In regards to replenishing funds, we've been able to do that on a bipartisan basis because every community in the nation is impacted by these funds that are in the Department of Transportation to deal with emergency situations."

Congressman Andy Harris, a Republican from Maryland, said during a news conference in early April that the bridge collapse is a national issue, not a partisan issue.

"This wasn't a Republican tragedy, it wasn't a Democrat tragedy and the solution won't be a partisan solution — it'll be a bipartisan solution," he said.

While state and federal legislators work to bring the bridge rebuilding project into reality, search crews are still trying to locate a final worker who died on the night of the collapse.

The body of a fifth construction worker who died in the disastrous collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has been found five weeks after the tragic incident. The fifth member of the lost crew was located on Wednesday, 1 May by Unified Command salvage teams.

The victim has been identified as Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, of Glen Burnie, Maryland, state officials announced in a news release.

One worker, Jose Mynor Lopez, remains unaccounted for.

“We remain dedicated to the ongoing recovery operations while knowing behind each person lost in this tragedy lies a loving family,” Colonel Roland L Butler, Jr, superintendent of the Maryland Department of State Police said in a statement.

“Along with our local, state and federal partners, we ask that everyone extend their deepest sympathies and support to the families during this difficult time.”

The state police underwater recovery team and the crime scene unit also assisted at the scene.

Divers were able to quickly recover the bodies of 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera a day after the bridge collapse after an initial search for the missing workers recovered a submerged truck.

The body of 38-year-old Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval was found on 5 April by divers as the search continued, and salvage teams found a deceased fourth unnamed worker trapped inside a vehicle over a week later while they were clearing debris from the channel.

While the search for the final worker continues, the Port of Baltimore said it is hoping to reopen its main channel by the end of May. The reopening will help to restore marine traffic and alleviate economic pressures caused by the collapse. Crews also plan to refloat and remove the Dali, which has been stationary near the incident site ever since the collapse.