BALTIMORE (AP) — President Joe Biden’s ongoing request for nearly $100 billion in disaster relief includes money to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed under the impact of a massive container ship that lost power in March and got off course.
Within hours of the disaster, Biden said the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding that bridge, and I expect Congress will support my efforts.” He visited Baltimore in the weeks that followed and reiterated his message of support.
Since then, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation have worked to secure 100% federal funding to cover the nearly $2 billion in estimated reconstruction costs. Otherwise, the federal government would cover 90%.
In a letter Monday to House Speaker Mike Johnson, Biden said Congress should strengthen funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other programs in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The request comes as lawmakers meet in a lame-duck session to finalize top priorities before making way for a new Congress and the incoming Trump administration. It includes about $8 billion that would help rebuild and repair highways and bridges in more than 40 states and territories, including Maryland.
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland said the request also includes passing legislation that would provide 100% federal funding for the bridge’s reconstruction. He said lawmakers were looking for a “means” to get that passed and hoped it would pass.
“The Maryland delegation has always supported other states in times of need, whether it was hurricanes or wildfires,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen, also a Democrat, told reporters Monday evening. “And we expect and hope that the rest of the country will now support us when it comes to replacing the Key Bridge.”
Maryland transportation leaders approved a contract for the reconstruction project in August, setting a completion date of 2028 and a price tag of $1.7 billion.
The collapse killed six members of a roadwork crew who were patching holes in the bridge when it collapsed into the water below. The freighter Dali had experienced a series of electrical problems while docked in Baltimore.
Litigation will determine the allocation of liability for what could become one of the costliest maritime disasters in history, recouping money that could ultimately help reimburse the costs of reconstruction.
Built in the 1970s, the bridge is named after Francis Scott Key, who wrote the national anthem after watching American troops successfully defend Fort McHenry in south Baltimore during the War of 1812. The 1.6-mile steel span connected industrial communities on either side of the Port of Baltimore, allowing drivers to easily bypass downtown. It was often used by truck drivers traveling along the East Coast.
Since the collapse, driving times and accidents on the main alternative routes have increased.
U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, whose district includes communities on the northeast side of the bridge, said rebuilding the bridge will mean a lot to Baltimore longshoremen, small businesses and “everyone in our state who sees that bridge there in the state as a cathedral went to see.” water.”
