BALTIMORE, MD — U.S. Senator Shelley Moore Capito got an up close look Monday at work taking place on an important bridge replacement project impacting the U.S. economy.
Capito joined Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Rep. Steve Womack, R-Arkansas, and others at the Port of Baltimore where the Francis Scott Key Bridge is being rebuilt after the March 2024 partial collapse of the former bridge after it was struck by a container ship.
The rebuild has not been without its controversy including the soaring costs.
Capito, the chair of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which approves infrastructure projects, said she wanted to get a look at the project.
“We have to have a transparent process. That’s why I’m here today,” she told reporters after a boat tour of the work led by Gov. Moore. “I want to see why these costs have ballooned. What are the performance measures that are built in—because now the whole country is paying for this bridge.”
The federal government has a 100 percent cost share for the bridge. Gov. Moore confirmed Monday the final cost is still expected to be in the $4 billion to $5 billion range. The State of Maryland recently decided to divide the rest of the rebuild into four separate contracts.
Capito said the Senate and House need to be “vigilant” on the project.
“Both on an authorizing side (her Senate committee) and Rep. Womack is on the appropriation side,” Capito said.
Womack is the chair of the House Subcommittee on Transportation.
Capito said the replacement of the Key Bridge is a good example of permitting reforming can help projects like this. She also said the bridge can also be a good “lessons learned” project.
“If we can get that (permitting reform) through the Senate, that’s going to help this project and every other project that every governor is considering,” Capito said. “All of this is kind of additive to me to learn the best way to get projects done safely, quickly and efficiently and then build in safeguards of lessons learned that we’ve learned here.”
Moore told reporters the target for the completion of the bridge remains the end of 2030. He admitted it was an optimistic timeline.
The former bridge was struck by a container ship. Six people working on the former Key Bridge at the time died as a result of the collision.