Overview

• U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Wes Moore a letter warning that DEI-driven contracting and rising costs could delay the Francis Scott Key Bridge rebuild.
• Duffy said DOT has asked a federal district court to declare the DBE program’s race- and sex-based presumptions of disadvantage unconstitutional.
• The letter requests project delivery metrics and explains that Maryland must detail how it will fund an estimated $1.8 billion state contribution.
• Cost projections have climbed well beyond the roughly $2 billion initially cited, with some reporting suggesting totals near $5 billion in federal funding.
• Procurement remains a flashpoint as lead contractor Kiewit says it will meet Maryland’s 31.5% DBE target, while an Archer Western/Traylor bid was rejected for DBE submission noncompliance.