Maryland lawmakers introduce bill requiring feds to pay 100 percent of Baltimore bridge repair

Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation introduced a bill Thursday that would make the federal government pay for the full cost of repairing the Baltimore bridge that collapsed when a ship struck it last month.

The bill was sponsored by Democratic Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, and all eight members of the Maryland House of Representatives, Kweisi Mfume (D), Andy Harris (R), and Steny Hoyer. (Democrat), Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat), and John Sarbanes (Democrat). , Jamie Raskin (D), David Tron (D), Glenn Ivey (D).

in a statement“The Maryland team will ensure that the federal government covers the full cost of rebuilding the bridge as safely as possible, and that federal taxpayers benefit from the funds recovered from those responsible,” Van Hollen said. “We are introducing this bipartisan bill to ensure that.”

The bill, entitled the “Baltimore Bridge Response Investment and Global Economic Relief Act,” would “modify federal cost-sharing requirements” for the Federal Highway Administration’s emergency relief program for disaster-damaged highways and bridges. be.

The deal would ensure that the federal government would pay 100% of the cost of rebuilding Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed when a cargo ship hit it in late March.

Cardan said at a news conference this week that when replacing highways and bridges damaged by disasters, the federal government will pay 90% of the cost, with states paying the remaining 10%, but there are exceptions for other emergencies. He said it was set up.

The transport ship Dali lost power while leaving the Port of Baltimore and crashed into a bridge. Since then, the Port of Baltimore has been closed and traffic has been diverted to temporary waterways as crews begin removing debris.

Six of the eight construction workers working on the bridge that night were killed in the collapse. The Coast Guard has begun an operation to recover the bodies of the three people who are still missing.

“The sudden collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a human tragedy and an economic tragedy for Maryland and the nation. We continue to mourn the loss of life and this skyline icon, and at the same time we acknowledge this disaster. We can begin to heal the wounds caused by this,” Cardan said in a statement Thursday.

President Biden visited the bridge last week and said he expects the Port of Baltimore to reopen by the end of May.

It’s unclear how much it will cost to build a new bridge, but estimates run into the billions of dollars.