The remaining ramps on either side of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge will soon be demolished, including the remaining ramps on either side of the bridge’s main span, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA).
The MDTA request for proposals (RFP) for the new bridge says that it “desires to remove the existing portions of bridge structure still standing as early as practicable, permittable, and approvable.”
Those portions of the bridge cannot be reused as part of a newly built bridge, according to the agency.
Parts of those bridge ramps, as well as the dolphins, will be destroyed with mechanical demolition and explosives. Demolition is scheduled to begin this summer or fall and will take about 10 months.
It won’t be the first time the Key Bridge recovery has required explosives. The 984-foot Dali, which lost power and crashed into a Key Bridge support, killing six construction workers, was stuck in the Patapsco River for nearly two months. Authorities used explosives to cut up a large piece of bridge that sat on the ship’s bow, which later allowed the vessel to be pulled and pushed to the Port of Baltimore by tugboats.
The upcoming work won’t be dissimilar from work done by crews to clean up the shipping channel in the months after the bridge collapse. The bridge deck that still stands over the water, for example, will be “cut into manageable pieces, lifted by crane onto trucks and transported for disposal,” according to Brian Wolfe, Transportation Authority Director, in a statement.
“MDTA will work with the selected Progressive Design Build team to chart a path forward on the removal of the remaining structures in partnership with neighboring communities,” said MDTA officials in a statement.
The replacement bridge is expected to be built by the fall of 2028 at a cost of $1.7 billion.
The design process is underway, which includes the type of bridge to be constructed and its height above the water.
However, there will be an enhanced pier protection system added, said MDTA officials.
A public information meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 1 at the North Point Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library in Dundalk.
Source: Baltimore Sun, The Baltimore Banner
