In brief
The NTSB will vote on its findings concerning the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse caused by the cargo ship Dali, which struck the bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six people. Maryland officials have significantly increased the rebuild's estimated cost and timeline. Investigators linked the incident to power issues with the ship, including a loose cable that led to a blackout. The original cost estimates have now jumped from $1.9 billion to between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, extending the completion date to 2030.
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The National Transportation Safety Board is set to vote on its findings into what caused a massive container ship to crash last year into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed and killed six construction workers.
The board’s vote on Tuesday is scheduled a day after Maryland officials more than doubled the estimated cost to replace the bridge and added two years on to the projected completion date — to 2030. The projected cost is now between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, compared to around $1.9 billion previously estimated.
Gov. Wes Moore shared that early estimates for the rebuild were made shortly after the bridge collapsed in March 2024.
“Since then, national economic conditions have deteriorated and material costs have increased,” Moore, a Democrat, noted. “The elevated costs have resulted from federal design and resilience standards — not discretionary state choices.”
The board is convening in Washington to deliberate on the probable cause, safety recommendations, and any updates to previous reports.
Investigators earlier discovered a loose cable that might have caused electrical malfunctions on the cargo ship Dali, which lost power and veered off course before striking the bridge, according to documents released last year by the NTSB.
When disconnected, the problematic cable triggered an electrical blackout on the ship similar to what happened as it approached the bridge on March 26, 2024. The Dali was en route from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when its steering failed due to the power loss, and it crashed into a supporting column of the bridge around 1:30 a.m., causing a collapse into the Patapsco River.
Previously released records indicated that the Dali first lost power while still docked in Baltimore due to a crew member's error during maintenance, leading to a series of power issues.
The NTSB criticized the Maryland Transportation Authority for not addressing the bridge’s vulnerability to ship strikes, urging others to learn from this tragedy.
The bridge was a key part of Baltimore’s infrastructure, constructed over five years and opening to traffic in 1977, and was crucial for port operations. Crews continue to dismantle the remaining sections of the bridge, with work commenced in July.
