I am writing about this not only because of the tragic collapse, but because the bridge is a Baltimore landmark that I have driven over and sailed under more than just a few times. As he often did with brand new construction around the city (and even older things that he wanted me to see), my father piled me in the car when I was 11 years old and drove me over it. I loved the Bay Bridge and was fascinated every time we drove over it to go to the Eastern Shore and Ocean City. I assume that dad figured I would love this one as well. I did.
Home recovering from surgery, I was shocked on March 26th, to wake up in the morning, turn on the local news, and learn that the bridge had collapsed. Hit by a container ship that had lost power and therefore propulsion and steering, the main span had collapsed onto the bow of the ship and into the 50-foot channel in the Patapsco River. The ship had drifted 600 yards into one of the main support piers. Because cargo ships are far larger (twice as long and carry 10 times the weight) today than they were when the bridge was built, and because the “dolphins” – concrete structures that flank the channel to prevent collision with the bridge – have not been upgraded since they were built in 1978 after the bridge was built, hence the reason the ship did the damage it did. In 1980, a ship hit one of the concrete dolphins, relieving the bridge of damage.
The traffic cam video of the collapse is shocking and made even more tragic when one considers there were eight construction workers on the bridge. The ship sent a mayday call as soon as it lost power, enabling local police to halt traffic traveling over the bridge and saving lives, however six of the eight men doing repairs on the bridge at the time, were killed.
Because Baltimore is a tight port with 50-foot channels, the state requires that there be a licensed pilot at the helm of any ship that enters Maryland waters. This means that any ship wishing to enter the port must be met in the Chesapeake Bay by the pilots and taken through the channels. Once at the Key Bridge, another pilot will take over and further maneuver the ship to its berth. To be a licensed ship’s pilot, one must have a degree from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, or one of 6 other Maritime Academies. A five-year apprenticeship is also required.
Conspiracy theories abound, so I figured I would clear those right up and talk about the bridge’s history.
Construction on the bridge began in 1972, to relieve the congestion at Baltimore’s Harbor Tunnel (opened in 1957). Initially the only harbor crossing at the time, the tunnel was becoming increasingly congested and by the 60’s there were severe delays on an almost daily basis. There was now a definite need for a second harbor crossing. A second tunnel was proposed but proved far too expensive at the time. It was determined that a four-lane bridge would be more economical both in terms of building costs and maintenance and would allow for HAZMAT transportation. By 1971, the General Assembly finally approved the project in conjunction with the United States Coast Guard who issued the permits.
The bridge opened March 23, 1977, and at 1.6 miles long, it is the second longest truss bridge in the United States. It sits 185 feet high and spans 1200 feet (about 365.76 m) and the entire structure with the approaches is a little under 11 miles long. Its sheer height is the reason it frequently closes in high wind situations. It completes the circle that is the Baltimore Beltway (I-695) and links Dundalk/Sollers Point to Hawkins Point and Baltimore city itself. Much of the cost was paid for by MTA toll bonds at a little over 110 million dollars.
Designed by the J. E. Grenier Company, the engineering firm was based in Baltimore and specialized in bridge design. Its founder had worked for the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad as an engineer. Responsible for the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, the Hanover Street Bridge, the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (295 – we call it the BW Parkway), Interstate 70, the Howard Street Bridge and the Thomas J. Hatem Memorial Bridge, just to name a few, it was acquired by United Research Services in 1996.
Initially called the “Outer Harbor Bridge,” the name was changed in 1976 to the “Francis Scott Key Bridge” as it is believed that the bridge sits approximately 100 yards from where Key was held aboard the HMS Tonnant during the Battle of Baltimore (or rather the failed British bombardment) on September 12, 1814 and where he wrote the poem (The Defense of Fort M’Henry) that would become our national anthem in 1931. The bridge also sits close to Fort Carroll, a now abandoned fort built in 1847 to supplement Fort McHenry’s defenses. The south approach from the Hawkins Point area passes over the Curtis Creek Drawbridge (2 bridges built in 1976 and 1980 and upgraded in 2003) and past Fort Armistead Park – another coastal defense fort that operated from 1901 until 1920 and then turned over to the National Park Service, following World War II use by the Navy for ammunition storage.
It is also interesting to note that the approach also passes by what used to be the Quarantine Station, where immigrants who came into Baltimore though Locust Point were sent if deemed ill. Built in 1883 as an improvement to the Marine Hospital and Quarantine, which had been built near Brooklyn in 1845 to prevent diseases like, typhus, smallpox and plague from entering Baltimore via ship, it became part of the Public Health service in 1918 and was shuttered in 1961.
The first ships left Baltimore’s port April 26th, through a 35-foot temporary channel after being stuck behind the wreckage for a month. Baltimore’s economy has been affected by this disaster, which has snowballed into a wider economic problem, as the port processes cars and farm equipment, more than any other port in the nation. Here’s hoping that as we always do, Baltimore will knuckle-down for the long haul, get the main channel cleared as quickly and safely as possible, the port completely re-opened and begin rebuilding our bridge.
https://www.npr.org/2024/03/27/1241122687/baltimore-francis-scott-key-bridge-history
Wikipedia
https://www.npr.org/2024/04/04/1242605876/baltimore-bridge-collapse-dolphins
Baltimore Through My Eyes 