The inability of Democrat-run states to build much of anything remains a damning indictment of Democratic governance, especially when Republican-run states have shown how much easier construction and rebuilding can be.
Maryland has moved ahead in the rebuilding process for the Francis Scott Key Bridge, opening the bidding process for the rebuild until Aug. 19. You may recall that the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed after a cargo ship crashed into it in March 2024, a whole 29 months ago. The rebuilding project was set back earlier this year after the state canceled the chief construction contract. Democrat Gov. Wes Moore promised the bridge would be rebuilt by 2028.
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Maryland took 16 months to initiate the controlled demolition of the rest of the bridge (which would finally allow the rebuilding to begin) and has focused on diversity requirements for contractors. As such, the reopening of the bridge has unsurprisingly already been pushed back to 2030. The budget has also ballooned rapidly from an initial estimate of less than $2 billion at the high end to a range of $1.8 billion (at the low end) to $5.2 billion. The latest estimated maximum remains at $5.2 billion, but the low-end estimate has jumped to $4.3 billion.
The entire saga is reminiscent of California‘s perpetually delayed and over-budget high-speed rail project, or the Biden administration’s inability to build electric vehicle charging stations. In juxtaposition, you have states such as Florida, which have moved quickly on construction projects, including bridge repairs and high-speed rail.
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Take Brightline’s high-speed rail project, which connects Orlando to Miami as the second-fastest train in the country and began running four years after the start of construction in 2014. Or the bridge from Fort Myers to Pine Island, damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022. Florida completed temporary repairs to get the bridge back up and running in just three days, with the permanent rebuild (and more storm-resilient upgrades) wrapping up in just three years.
Time and time again, red states are able to build things while blue states struggle, whether that is Georgia building the first two new nuclear reactors in the United States since 1996, Texas lapping California in new housing construction, and red states becoming the popular picks for green energy projects. States run by Republicans are simply better at building things, not being tied down by union restrictions, burdensome regulations, and higher taxes and costs found in Democrat-run states. In a Democratic state like Maryland, these news delays aren’t surprising in the least, and the next set of delays won’t be surprising either.