EASTON, MARYLAND — The Bay Bridge Shore drivers already use is getting a pier-protection contract, not a second span.

The Maryland Transportation Authority’s Bay Bridge Protection project page says the agency issued a design-build Request for Proposals in February 2026 for marine structures that would shield the main-span piers on both the eastbound and westbound William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial bridges. MDTA puts the total project cost at about $175 million. The work is meant to meet current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials pier-protection standards even though, MDTA says, the existing protection already meets the bridge’s federal permit requirements.

Timeline on the schedule. MDTA’s Feb. 2, 2026, news release listed a June 2026 proposal deadline, an expected award in Fall 2026, notice to proceed in Fall 2026, and construction starting in Spring 2027. The live project page lists notice to proceed in Spring 2027 and construction starting in Fall 2027 after the design-builder is selected. Both official pages keep the same $175 million estimate. Geotechnical work and design follow the notice to proceed.

Who pays. The February release says the project is financed with toll revenue from Maryland toll facilities, not federal funding. That is a separate ledger from the Chesapeake Bay Crossing Study’s Tier 2 NEPA track toward a combined Final EIS and Record of Decision, which MDTA’s study site anticipates publishing in November 2026.

For Shore readers, the map is simple: same bridge, same tolls, a marine pier job still awaiting its builder.