Baltimore Bridge Repair Bill Introduced: Maryland Lawmakers Seek 100% Federal Funding Requirement
DEBARYLIFE – The Baltimore bridge collapsed last month after a ship struck it, and members of Maryland’s congressional delegation submitted a bill on Thursday requiring the federal government to pay for the whole repair.
Democratic Senators introduced the legislation. Glenn Ivey (D), John Sarbanes (D), Jamie Raskin (D), David Trone (D), Andy Harris (R), Kweisi Mfume (D), Chris Van Hollen (D), and Ben Cardin (D) are the eight members of the Maryland House.
“Team Maryland is putting forward this bipartisan legislation to ensure that the federal government covers the full cost of rebuilding the bridge as safely and quickly as possible— and that federal taxpayers benefit from any monies recovered from those found responsible,” stated Van Hollen in a statement.
The proposed legislation, known as the Baltimore Bridge Response Invests and Delivers Global Economic Relief Act, aims to modify the government Highway Administration Emergency Relief Program for Disaster-Damaged Highways and Bridges by modifying the government cost-share requirement.
This would guarantee that the whole cost of reconstructing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, which collapsed due to an impact from a cargo ship in late March, would be borne by the federal government.
At a press conference this week, Cardin stated that while exceptions have been made in other emergency cases, the federal government normally bears 90% of the costs and the state bears the remaining 10% when it comes to reconstructing highways and bridges damaged by disasters.
SEE MORE: Non-American Mission Marks First Moon Landing Since 1972 by a Non-U.S. Entity
As the ship, the Dali, was departing Baltimore Harbor, its power went out and it crashed into the bridge. Traffic has since been rerouted via temporary routes while workers start clearing debris from the Baltimore port, which has been closed since then.
That evening, six of the eight construction workers atop the bridge perished in the fall. Three bodies are still missing, and the Coast Guard has started searching for them.
For Maryland and the country as a whole, the abrupt collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was both an economic and human disaster. In a statement released on Thursday, Cardin stated, “We can start working to heal the wounds created by this disaster at the same time that we continue to mourn the loss of life and this icon of our skyline.”
Reopening the Baltimore Port by the end of May is President Biden’s expectation, according to his visit to the bridge last week.
Although exact costs are unknown, estimates put the price of a new bridge in the billions of dollars.