Acting Maryland Transportation Secretary Samantha Biddle and Maryland Transportation Authority Executive Director Bruce Gardner gave an update on the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild and related traffic impacts during a consolidated transportation program briefing at Towson University.

The Key Bridge collapse has diverted truck and tractor-trailer traffic onto nearby local roads, causing pavement deterioration and community concerns, Baltimore County senior deputy administrative officer Sameer Sid said. "Without meaningful investment into these roads, we will continue to see them become worse and worse, posing a danger to our drivers, pedestrians, and the residential communities these roadways pass through," Sid said.

Bruce Gardner said the MDTA has reached 50% design for the replacement and began mechanical demolition of remaining bridge components. "Our test pile program began just last week clearing the path for construction in the not too distant future," Gardner said, and MDTA will update estimated cost and schedule as the design advances toward 70 percent.

Gardner noted near-term operational changes to ease local impacts, including shifting toll collection locations from toll booths to gantries on I-895 and a phased plan to remove the toll booth. He also said MDTA is working on system preservation actions for bridges and ramps south of the tunnel.

Sid thanked MDTA for canceling Key Bridge tolls after the collapse and said Baltimore County is studying whether to keep tolls off or to build an interchange to better accommodate trucks traveling from I-695 south. "We're looking forward to working with all our partners so we can explore these next steps and continue to make our roads safer and more efficient," Sid said.

Secretary Biddle said Maryland is reviewing county-provided data to determine eligibility for Federal Highway Administration emergency relief reimbursement of unanticipated repair costs from Key Bridge-related traffic impacts. "We are actively reviewing the preconditioned data provided by the county," she said.

County and state officials said they remain engaged on traffic mitigation while the rebuild progresses and will provide schedule and cost updates as MDTA completes further design work.