Particle.news
Download on the App Store

UMBC Poll Finds Maryland Split on Deficit Fix as Key Bridge Outlook Darkens

The results sharpen focus on a $1.5 billion gap ahead of a January budget debate.

Overview

  • About 41% favor a mix of spending cuts with tax and fee hikes and 41% prefer cuts alone to close the roughly $1.5 billion gap, while about 10% back taxes-only fixes.
  • The next legislative session begins Jan. 14, with the governor and key lawmakers saying new taxes are off the table this year.
  • State transportation officials now estimate a Key Bridge replacement at about $5.1 billion with opening not expected before 2030.
  • Just 25% expect the bridge to return in under five years, while 54% foresee five to ten years, 12% estimate 11–20 years, and 3% say longer.
  • Seventy-one percent report the loss of the span has had a great deal or some impact on life in the Baltimore area.