Cost estimates to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge are soaring and some congressional Republicans are becoming increasingly uneasy about the ballooning price tag to replace the Baltimore span, especially because the federal government has agreed to foot 100% of the bill.
According to a person with direct knowledge of the estimates who spoke with Politico, the cost of the rebuild has surged from an initial $1.9 billion to more than $5 billion, while the projected completion date has been pushed back from 2028 to 2030.
Senate Environment and Public Works Chair Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said Thursday that she is "open to looking at" trimming back the federal government's statutory obligation to pay the total cost of rebuilding the bridge, which was destroyed last year when it was hit by a cargo ship and collapsed.
"I was right," Capito told Politico after reading about the project's skyrocketing costs. "There's no [spending] constraints."
"I can almost guarantee you it would not be over $5 billion if Maryland had to pay 10% of that," Capito said.
On Aug. 29, David Turner, senior adviser to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, said that "preliminary cost and schedule estimates ... were based on rough order of magnitude calculations" and that federal lawmakers were made aware of the uncertainty before they codified a guarantee to completely cover the costs.
"The yet unknown impact of the Trump administration's tariff and economic policies has injected additional uncertainty into the process, as the cost of raw materials and labor remains constantly in flux," Turner added.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, R-Maine, told Politico that the inflated cost estimates were "very disquieting" and said she had been "assured" by Moore that the $1.9 billion initial request from Congress, along with funds recovered from insurance claims, would be enough to see the project through.
"This is a dramatic change in what the governor told me just last year," Collins said.
Earlier this week, House Transportation Committee Chair Sam Graves, R-Mo., said he would be interested in pursuing a bill to modify the federal obligation, but that a legislative path forward remains unclear.
Scaling back the federal cost share isn't without complications. While a measure reducing the government's obligation would likely clear the House, its chances in the Senate — where it would require 60 votes — appear more remote.
Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., said Thursday that he would "talk to some fiscal hawks" on Capitol Hill to see if there was any interest in paring down the federal obligation for the rebuild via legislation.
Maryland "should have skin in the game," he added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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