WSP Team Wins $75 Million Contract to Manage Key Bridge Rebuild

What happened: The Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) awarded a $75 million contract to a WSP-led team that will provide planning, engineering, construction management and program support services for the rebuild of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge. Maryland’s Board of Public Works approved the contract Jan. 8 to Bridging Maryland Partnership, a joint venture of WSP, Johnson Mirmiran & Thompson of Hunt Valley, Md., and Baltimore’s Rummel, Klepper & Kahl.

Why it matters: This is the second major contract since the bridge’s collapse March 26. In August, MDTA awarded Kiewit Infrastructure Co. a $73 million, progressive design-build contract to complete the bridge’s design, as well as have the opportunity to negotiate a construction agreement for the new span. The WSP team will act as the auditor of Kiewit’s processes, review submittals and confirm that design criteria is met.

What’s next: Pre-construction activities begin this month that will affect design and construction decisions, including drilling to collect soil samples and mapping subsurface waterways. The project became a reality Dec. 22, when Congress passed a spending package that includes the full cost of rebuilding the structure. That cost is now pegged at $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion, with construction completion in late 2028. Dig deeper.