Baltimore Key Bridge, American Legion Bridge projects to be accelerated after Moore, Duffy meeting

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Relief may be on the way for commuters across the Washington, D.C. region under a new agreement between Maryland and the Trump administration.

What we know:

The deal aims to fast‑track reconstruction of both the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the American Legion Bridge, which links Montgomery and Fairfax counties and is long known for some of the nation’s worst congestion.

FOX 5’s Melanie Alnwick reports that from Virginia to D.C. to Maryland, there’s agreement that the aging Legion Bridge is a major bottleneck and long overdue for replacement. And in Baltimore, the collapse of the Key Bridge highlights how essential these crossings are for connecting communities.

Both projects come with large price tags. The estimated cost to rebuild the Key Bridge has ballooned to nearly $5 billion, driven by rising material and construction costs and the addition of a pier‑protection system. The completion date has been delayed to 2030.

Congress previously approved a law under President Biden guaranteeing full federal funding for the Key Bridge rebuild. But Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has raised concerns about escalating costs and whether federal support could be reduced. A joint statement says Governor Wes Moore and Duffy have made progress on "cost sharing to ensure fairness," meaning Maryland taxpayers will now shoulder part of the expense.

Maryland also says it lacks the money in its Transportation Trust Fund to cover improvements to the Legion Bridge and the I‑270 corridor. Moore and Duffy agreed to accelerate that project through a public‑private partnership, which would include adding high‑occupancy toll lanes.

The statement does not specify new target timelines for either project. Proposals for the Legion Bridge rebuild are due to the federal government at the end of next month.

READ MORE: Maryland lawmakers tour Baltimore Key Bridge demolition site as rebuild continues

Governor Wes M​oore and U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy released the following statement after their meeting in Washington, D.C.:

"We all agree that building great, big, things shouldn’t be impossible in America. That includes the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the American Legion Memorial Bridge – two major infrastructure projects that are essential to the Baltimore and Beltway economy.

"During today’s meeting, we made significant progress. We agreed to accelerate the reconstruction of both the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the American Legion Bridge.

"Specifically for the American Legion Bridge, we agreed about the need to speed up the reconstruction and leverage innovative approaches like a public private partnership (P3) that will ensure Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. commuters can soon experience some much needed traffic relief from the most congested corridor in America.

"We also made significant progress on cost sharing for the Francis Scott Bridge to ensure fairness.

"Our teams will continue to hash out the final details to ensure both critical bridge projects are completed quickly and affordably."

READ MORE: NTSB says Baltimore Key Bridge collapse was 'entirely preventable'