Dave Wallace urges emergency federal push to rebuild Key Bridge

Republican congressional nominee Dave Wallace is calling on the White House to treat reconstruction of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge as a national emergency and speed replacement work under federal oversight. He says the project should move with 24/7 construction, a dedicated task force and broader economic benefits for Maryland workers and the Port of Baltimore.

Why it matters: - Wallace is framing the Key Bridge rebuild as more than a construction job. - The proposal ties the replacement to traffic relief, port operations, jobs and long-term transportation resilience in Baltimore. - Wallace says faster reconstruction would help restore time lost by commuters, freight operators and businesses across the region.

What happened: - Dave Wallace, the Republican nominee for Maryland’s 2nd Congressional District, called on the President to designate Key Bridge reconstruction as a “National Emergency Infrastructure Project.” - Wallace wants the U.S. Department of Transportation to use every lawful authority to accelerate replacement of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. - The proposal calls for an Emergency Bridge Reconstruction Task Force under Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. - Wallace said the project should move with continuous construction wherever it is safely and legally possible.

The details: - Wallace wants the task force to coordinate engineering, permitting, procurement, fabrication, logistics, site preparation and construction. - He said those functions should proceed at the same time when safety rules and the law allow. - Wallace also called for expedited selection of a general contractor with major bridge-building experience and the ability to run a true 24-hour, seven-day-a-week project. - He proposed a target of finishing the bridge within eight months after the first permanent structural girder is erected, pending engineering and construction review. - Wallace said the replacement should be designed to meet long-term transportation, commercial, security and defense mobility needs. - He said the new bridge should be stronger, safer, more resilient, more secure and more durable. - Wallace said Maryland workers and businesses should have broad access to the work, including construction companies, paving contractors, concrete producers, steel fabricators, equipment suppliers, truckers, engineers and skilled tradespeople. - He said union and open-shop contractors should compete based on capability, safety, quality, price and performance, consistent with applicable requirements. - Wallace also urged federal agencies to evaluate any credible new evidence about the bridge collapse, using transportation-safety, intelligence, law-enforcement and legal procedures with public transparency where appropriate.

Between the lines: - Wallace is using the bridge collapse to make a broader case for industrial revival in Baltimore. - He linked the reconstruction to the Port of Baltimore, manufacturing, energy infrastructure and regional competitiveness. - The push for federal emergency treatment suggests a campaign message built around speed, execution and visible results.

What’s next: - Wallace is pressing for White House action and federal coordination, but the release does not say whether any formal emergency designation is under consideration. - If adopted, his plan would put the Department of Transportation and a new task force at the center of reconstruction decisions. - The proposal also points to future engineering review as the key test for whether the eight-month target is realistic.

The bottom line: - Wallace is betting that voters will respond to a hard-charging rebuild agenda: fast federal action, round-the-clock construction and a promise to turn the Key Bridge replacement into a Baltimore comeback story.

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