KEY BRIDGE REPLACEMENT COST ESTIMATES MORE THAN DOUBLE: Officials have updated the cost estimate for the Key Bridge rebuild and pushed back the expected timeline. The Maryland Transportation Authority said the cost will be between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, while the initial cost was estimated at $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion. Jake Shindel/WBAL-TV News.
- The new bridge is now expected to open by the end of 2030 State officials said Monday that modern federal guidelines, increased costs of pier protection, and economic factors, including tariffs, led to the new projected cost. Hayes Gardner and Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
- The initial estimate and preliminary plan were formed and released two weeks after the bridge’s collapse in March 2024 when the container ship Dali lost power and slammed into a main support pier. The collapse killed six construction workers who were doing repairs on the bridge. Chevall Pryce/The Baltimore Sun.
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy had said in August that he thought the state’s initial projections likely weren’t “anywhere near accurate” and could be closer to “double plus.” Katie Mettler and Michael Laris/The Washington Post.
NINE DALI CREW MEMBERS REMAIN STUCK IN BALTIMORE: Nine crew members who sailed aboard the ill-fated Dali container ship more than 19 months ago have not been free to leave Baltimore. Their residency — and the release of the ship itself — is part of an apparent deal struck between the U.S. government and the Singaporean companies that own and operate the vessel, which smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six construction workers. Hayes Gardner/The Baltimore Banner.
STAFF AT PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION SIDES WITH TRANSMISSION LINE: In a hit to opponents of a controversial northern Maryland transmission line, staff of the Maryland Public Service Commission has called for the state to keep considering the transmission line’s permit application. Lily Carey/The Carroll County Times.
WESTERN MD ELECTEDS REJECT W VIRGINIA INVITE TO SECEDE: Maryland elected officials representing Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties have rejected an invitation to consider breaking away and joining West Virginia. West Virginia state Sen. Chris Rose last week introduced legislation in his state’s upper chamber, inviting the three rural counties, in addition to 27 others in Virginia, to secede to West Virginia to “strengthen regional ties and promote shared Appalachian values.” Tinashe Chingarande/The Baltimore Sun.
IS FERGUSON PLAYING WITH FIRE ON REDISTRICTING? For the second time in two years, Senate President Bill Ferguson is going against Gov. Wes Moore. But this time, he also seems to be on the opposite side of the entire Democratic Party, as well. Ferguson has called midcycle redistricting – which the Democrats are undertaking to counteract the same move by Republians – a risky arms race that could backfire or turn off voters. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
CAN MARYLAND KICK AN AIRLINE OUT OF BWI OVER ICE FLIGHTS? A small airline is raising a big stir at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall airport. Protestors have periodically gathered near the airport since summer to call on the Maryland Aviation Administration to kick Avelo Airlines out of BWI over its charter flight contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Some protests have drawn state lawmakers critical of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Daniel Zawodny/The Baltimore Banner.
PLANK SEEKS TO SELL SAGAMORE FARM TO THE STATE: Representatives for Kevin Plank have been lobbying top officials in Gov. Wes Moore’s office for months in an effort to persuade the state to buy the businessman’s posh Baltimore County horse farm. Sagamore Farm, an over 500-acre estate outside of Reisterstown that was once owned by a member of the Vanderbilt family, has been for sale since the start of the year. Lee O. Sanderlin/The Baltimore Banner.
10 CURRENT, FORMER HOWARD POLICE SUE COUNTY, EXEC BALL: Ten current and former members of the Howard County Police Department are suing Howard County and its executive, Calvin Ball, for “unlawful pay practices,” according to court documents. The federal lawsuit accuses the county of failing to pay overtime, standby pay (also known as on-call pay), and other compensation for years. Tessa Bentulan/The Baltimore Sun.
What?! More than Double the price?! And 2 extra years?! Noooo… Really? our very own wonderfully ran Democrat State Gov’t that is the best in the world quoted a smaller budget and shorter building time? Who would have thought it?
If you couldn’t pick up on my heavy sarcasm let me iterate that it was in fact sarcasm. Like is anyone shocked by this? Gov’t never quotes anything correctly anymore and nothing ever comes ahead of schedule. Several months ago our beloved Gov and and Senator Van Hollen patted themselves on their back as they stood on the destroyed bridge all smiles. I made a comment back then to them directly telling them how much of a joke that grand standing was and if you want to impress me then come under budget and ahead of schedule. Welp, it didn’t take long to not only be disappoint me but also live up to my expectations of how gov’t has been ran in my 4 decade lifetime. Yes, some of the costs are because of Tariffs, but that’s not the reason that the new quote is more than double.
Democrats of MD, this is the party you are trying to convince me to support? This is the better party? All I see is the same shitty governance from both sides as I bend over and take from Gov’t, corporations, and other economic pressures. One thing is for sure George Carlin was right, they want everything folks and they won’t stop until they have every f-ing dime and we are struggling until our end days. The new age slavery is saddling us in debt, under paying us for our hard work, and making it impossible to get ahead let alone just maintain a stable lifestyle.
VOTE 3RD PARTY, stop throwing your vote away on 2 parties that don’t give a damn about you or me.