Federal officials told Maryland lawmakers Tuesday that it could cost at least $2 billion to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed after being struck by a malfunctioning freighter, a source familiar with discussions said.
Although a very early estimate, it sets a steep price tag for President Joe Biden’s promise Tuesday to cover the total cost of reconstruction — especially as Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news conference Wednesday that the federal government has about $950 million in an emergency fund that could be used.
Other projects are also vying for that money, however, and further action from Congress will be needed, Buttigieg said. Any effort to hold the ship’s owners accountable would happen separately, he told reporters at the White House.
