When will the Key Bridge reopen?

The Maryland Transportation Authority’s November 2025 estimate is late 2030, and officials have said it could stretch beyond that. The original plan was fall 2028.

What loads cannot use the Baltimore harbor tunnels?

Hazmat loads, and vehicles over 14 ft 6 in high or over 11 ft wide, may not use the I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel or the I-895 Harbor Tunnel. They must loop the west side of I-695.

How much does the detour add?

The west loop of I-695 adds about 30 to 35 miles and 45 to 60 minutes per trip compared with the bridge route, according to trucking executives quoted in local reporting. The tunnel route itself adds about 9 to 10 miles over the old bridge route.

Which terminals are on the same side of the harbor?

Seagirt, Dundalk and Tradepoint Atlantic on the east side. Fairfield, Masonville and Curtis Bay on the south side. East-to-east moves never needed the bridge.

Are lithium batteries affected?

Yes. Containerized lithium-ion battery storage units are Class 9 hazmat (UN3536, and UN3480 for cells), so they cannot use the tunnels and take the I-695 west loop between the east side and the BWI side.

How often is this page updated?

Quarterly, and after any MDTA schedule or restriction change. The updated date in the header is the last review.

Key Bridge rebuild and truck routing to 2030

On March 26, 2024 the container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bridge fell, six workers died, and I-695 lost its crossing of the Patapsco River. The shipping channel reopened in full on June 10, 2024. The highway gap will last until late 2030 at the earliest. Every drayage quote out of the Port of Baltimore has carried that gap ever since, and most shippers outside Maryland do not know it exists.

The rebuild: timeline, cost and the four procurements

Milestone	Date	Detail
Collapse	March 26, 2024	Dali strikes the bridge
Channel reopened	June 10, 2024	700 ft wide, 50 ft deep, about 50,000 tons of debris removed
Original plan	2024	$1.7B to $1.9B, open fall 2028, Kiewit progressive design-build
Federal funding	December 2024	Congress sets the federal share at 100 percent
Revised estimate	November 2025	$4.3B to $5.2B, open late 2030
Procurement restructured	Spring 2026	State exits the Kiewit design-build, splits the work into four contracts
Status	Fall 2026	Over-water work trestle complete, permanent foundation piles being driven

The four procurements, in order:

Demolition and miscellaneous marine work. Bids accepted August 25, 2026, work starting late 2026.
South land approach. Bid in summer 2026, start fall 2026.
North land approach. Bid fall 2026 to winter 2027, start spring 2027.
Main span, pier protection and marine approaches. Request for qualifications July 21, 2026, estimated $3.5B to $4.0B, construction start summer 2027.

The tunnel rules

All cross-harbor traffic now uses the I-95 Fort McHenry Tunnel or the I-895 Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Three categories of load may not enter either tunnel:

Hazmat. Placarded hazardous materials, including Class 9 lithium-ion battery shipments (UN3536 containerized units, UN3480 cells).
Over-height. Anything over 14 ft 6 in.
Over-width. Anything over 11 ft.

Those loads take the west side of I-695, the Baltimore Beltway, around the city. Police have documented illegal hazmat transits through the tunnels since the collapse, and I-895 has no weigh stations, which is why enforcement attention is high. The penalty for a wrong turn is not only a fine. It is a load stopped at a tunnel portal with the clock running.

The detour math

Route	Added distance	Added time
Tunnel instead of bridge (legal loads)	About 9 to 10 miles	Tunnel congestion up about 15 percent
I-695 west loop (hazmat, over-height, over-width)	About 30 to 35 miles	About 45 to 60 minutes

Regional corridor congestion rose at least 25 percent after the collapse. For a drayage move, 30 to 35 miles and an hour is often the difference between one turn and two in a driver’s day, so the detour shows up as a higher rate and a shorter booking window, not just a longer trip.

East side versus south side: the planning rule

The port wraps around the river. Seagirt (containers), Dundalk (ro-ro and breakbulk) and Tradepoint Atlantic (the private port at Sparrows Point) sit on the east side. Fairfield and Masonville (autos) and Curtis Bay (coal and bulk) sit on the south side. Locust Point sits on the city side at the mouth of the I-95 tunnel.

Lane	Legal load	Hazmat or over-dimensional
Seagirt or Dundalk to Sparrows Point, White Marsh, I-95 north	Surface roads, no tunnel	Surface roads, no tunnel
Seagirt or Dundalk to BWI, Hanover, Anne Arundel County	Tunnel	I-695 west loop
Sparrows Point to Fairfield or Curtis Bay	Tunnel	I-695 west loop
Fairfield to Washington, DC or I-97	No tunnel	No tunnel
Locust Point to I-70 west or DC	No tunnel	No tunnel

The rule that falls out of the table: keep hazmat and over-dimensional freight on the side of the harbor where it lands. A Class 9 battery container discharged at Seagirt should go to a hazmat-permitted partner warehouse on the east side, not to one near BWI. A transformer at Dundalk bound for Virginia takes the west loop once, planned, rather than being turned away at a portal.

What this means for each cargo type

Containers, legal weight and height. Tunnel route. Price the extra 9 to 10 miles and the congestion. Most lanes are unchanged in practice. See the drayage guide.
Hazmat containers and battery storage units. West loop or stay east. Our hazmat logistics partners route them before dispatch.
Ro-ro machinery and project pieces over 14 ft 6 in or 11 ft wide. West loop with the permit written for it. See project cargo.
Autos on car carriers. Legal height, tunnel route, extra miles only.

Quarterly update note

This page is reviewed quarterly and after any MDTA announcement on schedule, cost or tunnel restrictions. The last review date is in the header. Treat late 2030 as the earliest reopening and plan the detour until then.

How Baltimore 3PL uses this

The desk routes every quote by side of the harbor and by load class before a truck is assigned. Drayage partners run legal loads through the tunnels. Hazmat and project cargo partners hold the permits and run the west loop when the cargo requires it. No fleet to fill, so the right truck wins every time.

What to send for a quote

Pickup terminal and delivery address
Height, width and gross weight of the loaded unit
Hazmat class and UN number if placarded
Required delivery window
Whether an east-side or south-side warehouse stop is acceptable to avoid the detour

Send it to the quote desk and you get the route, the equipment and the rate within one business day.