The Maryland Board of Public Works is scheduled to vote on a $50 million contract for clearing debris from the Patapsco River following the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge. Skanska USA Civil Southeast, Inc. was awarded the emergency contract in April after the bridge collapsed due to a container ship losing power. While the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers oversaw clearing the federal shipping channel, Skanska crews worked on removing steel and concrete debris from other parts of the river to allow vessels to resume trade with the Port of Baltimore. The work is expected to be eligible for federal reimbursement.
Skanska has already completed work on the water and is now preparing salvaged steel for recycling. The Board, consisting of Gov. Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke E. Lierman, and Treasurer Dereck E. Davis, must approve major contracts. The emergency contract with Skanska was pushed due to the urgency of completion and the risk of underwater demolition. Skanska was selected because they were already working on a demolition project on another bridge, which expedited their work on the Patapsco River. The authority initially believed they did not need to report the contract to the Board but were advised otherwise by the Office of the Attorney General.
If the contract is approved by the Board of Public Works, Skanska will continue its efforts to clear debris from the Patapsco River and help restore operations to the Port of Baltimore.
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