Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse

[Judas Maccabeus]

Are they planning to build an entirely new bridge from shoreline to shoreline? Or are they planning to just replace the center sections that are destroyed and keep the existing approaches on each side?

Design has not been officially announced, but count on a cable stayed bridge.

[barnhart]

Are they planning to build an entirely new bridge from shoreline to shoreline? Or are they planning to just replace the center sections that are destroyed and keep the existing approaches on each side?

Design has not been officially announced, but count on a cable stayed bridge.

That does seem to be the trend, or maybe cable suspended. Is this cheaper? Faster? More durable?

[ken_sylvania]

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/key-brid ... jzlCoLMX7A

Officials increase estimated cost, push back timeline of Key Bridge rebuild
In a news release, the Maryland Transportation Authority said the cost will likely be anywhere from $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion. The change marks a stark contrast after the Associated Press reported in May 2024 that the initial cost was estimated to be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.

The news release cited a change in national economic conditions and an increase in material costs as reasons for the increased cost estimate. Officials also said the initial estimates were released just weeks after the bridge collapse, and updates to the bridge design to accommodate larger ships and a massive pier protection system are not cheap.

After initially saying the new bridge should be reopened by fall 2028, officials revised the estimated opening date to be in late 2030.

Why am I not surprised....

[R7ehr]

If they get Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff, they could turn this into another "Big Dig" project.
That project began planning in 1982, began construction in 1991, and officially completed 16 years later in 2007, 9 years later than planned. And went from it's original estimated cost of $2.6 billion, to $24.3 billion.

[Ernie]

Its amazing the damage that can happen in the modern world, simply from one loose wire.

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cqjw52p58geo

[barnhart]

Infrastructure can be frustrating from design, construction and maintenance, but it's worth noting we are frustrated because we have become accustomed to infrastructure that generally works. I imagine if we lived in many other countries we would come accept in-operable or insufficient infrastructure as normative.

Here is a time lapse of an massive bridge project I saw in real time. Note that traffic in rush hours was not stopped during the entire project. The roadway was rebuilt 65 feet higher to accommodate larger container ships.

[R7ehr]

That is a neat video!

[ken_sylvania]

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/key-brid ... jzlCoLMX7A

Officials increase estimated cost, push back timeline of Key Bridge rebuild
In a news release, the Maryland Transportation Authority said the cost will likely be anywhere from $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion. The change marks a stark contrast after the Associated Press reported in May 2024 that the initial cost was estimated to be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.

The news release cited a change in national economic conditions and an increase in material costs as reasons for the increased cost estimate. Officials also said the initial estimates were released just weeks after the bridge collapse, and updates to the bridge design to accommodate larger ships and a massive pier protection system are not cheap.

After initially saying the new bridge should be reopened by fall 2028, officials revised the estimated opening date to be in late 2030.

Why am I not surprised....

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/ ... e-rebuild/
So apparently Kiewit's estimate for the rebuild is $9 billion. Seems like a little bit more than $1.9 billion.
So now, take another year to solicit bids on four different sections and hope they all fit together. Fun times.

[Judas Maccabeus]

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/key-brid ... jzlCoLMX7A

Officials increase estimated cost, push back timeline of Key Bridge rebuild
In a news release, the Maryland Transportation Authority said the cost will likely be anywhere from $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion. The change marks a stark contrast after the Associated Press reported in May 2024 that the initial cost was estimated to be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion.

The news release cited a change in national economic conditions and an increase in material costs as reasons for the increased cost estimate. Officials also said the initial estimates were released just weeks after the bridge collapse, and updates to the bridge design to accommodate larger ships and a massive pier protection system are not cheap.

After initially saying the new bridge should be reopened by fall 2028, officials revised the estimated opening date to be in late 2030.

Why am I not surprised....

https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/ ... e-rebuild/
So apparently Kiewit's estimate for the rebuild is $9 billion. Seems like a little bit more than $1.9 billion.
So now, take another year to solicit bids on four different sections and hope they all fit together. Fun times.

With the state of Maryland politics, I don't expect to see that bridge done in my lifetime.

[JohnH]

This kind of belongs in the "is the American empire declining?" thread. Empires that can't build bridges are going to have trouble remaining empires. It seems many public works these days end up costing orders of magnitude more than originally quoted and are delivered years or even decades late.