Two-Year Path Toward Full Baltimore Deep-Draft Restoration
The Maryland Port Administration released its 340-page Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement feasibility study on March 5, 2026, following 18 months of engineering assessment, environmental review, and federal funding coordination. The study outlines two viable replacement bridge designs and recommends a Q4 2026 groundbreaking to restore full deep-draft container vessel access to the Port of Baltimore's Seagirt Marine Terminal and Dundalk Marine Terminal.
The collapse of the original FSK Bridge in March 2024 forced the closure of the Patapsco River's deep-draft channel to vessels drawing more than 35 feet — effectively displacing the port's largest container vessels to Savannah, Norfolk, and New York. Baltimore's roll-on/roll-off and bulk cargo operations, which use the Patapsco's shallow-draft channels, were unaffected and have continued throughout the recovery period.
Option A: Conventional Cable-Stay Bridge
Option A, estimated at $1.7 billion, proposes a conventional cable-stayed bridge designed to modern vessel collision protection standards. The design incorporates pier protection systems rated to withstand a vessel impact force of 34,000 metric-ton equivalents — substantially higher than the protection standards applied to the original bridge. Under Option A, construction would take approximately 48 months, targeting a Q4 2030 opening.
Option A qualifies for the maximum Federal Highway Administration discretionary grant funding under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, with Maryland Port Administration modeling suggesting up to 80% federal cost share — reducing Maryland's net obligation to approximately $340 million.
Option B: Extradosed Prestressed Concrete Bridge
Option B, estimated at $2.1 billion, proposes an extradosed prestressed concrete bridge with a wider navigation channel clearance of 700 feet — compared to 480 feet for Option A — enabling simultaneous two-direction deep-draft traffic and accommodating Neo-Panamax vessels that are currently unable to access Baltimore on the existing channel geometry. The wider clearance would allow Baltimore to compete directly with Savannah and Norfolk for 18,000+ TEU vessel calls.
Option B carries a longer construction timeline of 54 months, targeting a Q2 2031 opening, and has a higher federal funding uncertainty given the cost premium over Option A. The Maryland Port Administration noted it favors Option B on competitive grounds but acknowledges Option A's funding certainty makes it the more executable choice given current federal budget constraints.
Interim Cargo Routing
During the bridge replacement period, the MPA intends to maintain Baltimore's market share for containerized cargo through a combination of feeder vessel connections from Savannah and Norfolk and expanded rail service from Baltimore's existing landside infrastructure. CSX and NS have both expressed interest in participating in an interim intermodal connection program that would allow beneficial cargo owners to use Baltimore's bonded warehousing and trucking connections while their containers transit alternative East Coast ports.
Shippers who were routing discretionary cargo through Baltimore before the March 2024 collapse should incorporate the Q4 2026 groundbreaking date — and the associated 4–5 year construction timeline — into their gateway planning. Full Baltimore deep-draft restoration is now a 2030–2031 story, not a near-term one. If Baltimore is your preferred East Coast gateway for cost or relationship reasons, coordinate with your ocean carrier about the interim feeder vessel program. For Southeast importers and exporters who shifted to Savannah or Norfolk after the collapse, the replacement timeline removes any urgency to revert to Baltimore routing in the near term.
Sources: Maryland Port Administration FSK Bridge Replacement Feasibility Study (March 5, 2026); MPA press release March 5, 2026; FHWA Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act grant program documentation; CSX and NS interim service program statements.