Official: Nearly $2 billion, 4 years to rebuild bridge

Maryland plans to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in just over four years at an estimated cost between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, a state transportation official said Thursday.

The state plans to build a new span by fall of 2028, said David Broughton, a spokesman for the Maryland Department of Transportation. He said the cost estimate is preliminary.

Late Wednesday, authorities announced they recovered the body of a fifth person who was missing after the collapse of the bridge more than a month ago, shutting down the port of Baltimore, one of the busiest ports in the country.

Six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths on March 26 when a container ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns. The Key Bridge Response Unified Command announced that the victim found Wednesday was identified as Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, of Glen Burnie, Maryland. All of the victims were Latino immigrants who came to the United States.

Meanwhile, the broker for the bridge’s insurance policy confirmed Thursday that a $350 million payout will be made to the state of Maryland in what is expected to be the first of many payouts related to the collapse.

Salvage and demolition crews were still working around the clock to clear wreckage from the collapse site. They’re now focused primarily on freeing the Dali from a massive steel span that came crashing down on the ship’s bow. That will allow the ship to be refloated and guided back into the Port of Baltimore. It will also allow most maritime traffic to resume through the busy East Coast port.

MATT ROURKE/AP Workers remove wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge April 25 in Baltimore. On Wednesday, the body of a fifth of six victims was found. The workers fell to their deaths when the container ship Dali crashed into a bridge support March 26. Crews are still working to free the ship.