Wes Moore Cancels Kiewit Phase 2 Key Bridge Contract
Maryland canceled Kiewit Infrastructure Co.'s Phase 2 contract for the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild on Tuesday, ending the company’s exclusive role in the project’s next construction stage. Wes Moore said the state will still rebuild the bridge “safely, quickly, and cost-efficiently,” after bids and proposals climbed far beyond state estimates.
The move sends Maryland back into the market for a new builder for the bridge’s critical second phase. That phase was supposed to move the project from preliminary plans into a guaranteed maximum price for construction, while finalizing the new bridge’s design, driving steel piles into the Patapsco River, and beginning roadway approaches and spans.
Moore's Tuesday decision
Moore said, “we will rebuild this bridge safely, quickly, and cost-efficiently. And we will never settle for less.” He said, “This was informed by the state's independent cost estimates.”
Maryland Transportation Secretary Katie Thompson said, “At the governor’s direction, MDTA will aggressively protect and advance the interests of Maryland,” and added that safety, speed, and cost efficiency remain top priorities. MDTA said it was off-ramping Kiewit from the project.
Duffy's cost warning
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said Kiewit’s proposals “far exceeded” state estimates. The gap came as project costs rose from roughly $1.8 billion to more than $5.2 billion, a jump that put the rebuild’s financing and schedule under sharper pressure.
The project has been presented by Moore as the nation’s fastest-moving large infrastructure effort, and state transportation leaders said the cancellation was needed to protect taxpayers and keep the work on track. Tuesday’s decision resets the search for the contractor that will take over the bridge’s most expensive and operationally complex stage.
Key Bridge Phase 2
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in 2024 after the cargo ship Dali collided with it. Phase 2 was the step that would have locked in the major construction terms and pushed the rebuild into full execution.
Maryland now has to line up a replacement builder while keeping the project’s pace, cost, and safety standards aligned with the expectations Moore and Thompson set in public on Tuesday.
