Republicans on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee sparred with Biden administration officials over how much the federal government should pay for replacing the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
The bridge was destroyed when a cargo ship lost power and plowed into one of its support piers early in the morning of March 26, killing six construction workers. Maryland officials have estimated the replacement cost at $1.9 billion, and the administration has pledged to pay 100 percent of the cost.
The federal government has paid the full cost after other bridge-related disasters, including the 2007 collapse of the Mississippi River bridge in Minneapolis, Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt said. The costs of the Baltimore disaster will be offset by insurance and legal settlements, including a $350 million policy that the state of Maryland has on the bridge, he said.
But the Maryland bridge was a state-owned toll bridge, Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa) and others said at a committee hearing Wednesday.
