Maryland moves to starting line for bridge rebuild process. Public meeting scheduled.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore provided four directives after the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, and the state is taking strides this month towards starting the last of the four — rebuilding the bridge.

The Maryland Transportation Authority released a May 31 Request for Proposals for design-build teams to submit proposals to rebuild the bridge and reconnect the I-695 Beltway.

“The rebuilding of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is a massive effort,” said authority Executive Director Bruce Gartner, in a corresponding release. “We need as many partners as possible pulling in one direction to help us accomplish our goals of reconnecting communities, getting Marylanders where they need to go and supporting commerce and the movement of goods throughout our region.”

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To that end, the authority is hosting an update via Zoom on June 11 from 6-7 p.m. for local communities, motorists and other stakeholders affected by the bridge collapse.

The final large steel truss segment blocking the 700-foot-wide Fort McHenry Federal Channel near the Port of Baltimore was removed from the water last week. A release on Monday evening from the United States Army Corps of Engineers announced the full restoration of the channel.

“We are proud of the unified efforts that fully reopened the Federal Channel to port operations,” said Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, commanding general of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in the June 10 release, less than 11 weeks after the bridge fell. “The partnerships that endured through this response made this pivotal mission successful.”

Proposals for the Key Bridge rebuild are due on Monday, June 24, 2024, according to the authority’s May 31 release. The selection of the team for the process is scheduled for mid-to-late Summer 2024, according to the release, and the project is scheduled to be complete in Fall 2028.

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Dwight A. Weingarten is an investigative reporter, covering the Maryland State House and state issues. He can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter at @DwightWeingart2.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Baltimore bridge rebuild process begins with request for proposals