Key Bridge collapse: What we know about structure’s history, traffic

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed early Tuesday morning after a support column was struck by a cargo ship, sending cars into the Patapsco River, launching a search-and-rescue operation and prompting Gov. Wes Moore to declare a state of emergency.

Here’s what you should know about the Key Bridge:

What is the history of the bridge’s name?

The Francis Scott Key Bridge is named for the writer behind “The Star-Spangled Banner.” The site of the bridge is believed to be within 100 yards of where Key saw the bombing of Fort McHenry Sept. 12, 1814, which inspired the poem that became the national anthem.

The battle at Fort McHenry was a key victory over British forces during the War of 1812. The American flag raised Sept. 14, 1814, celebrated the victory and inspired the words “broad stripes and bright stars” in Key’s song.

When did the bridge open?

Construction for the 1.6-mile bridge started in 1972, and it opened March 23, 1977.

In the 1960s, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel reached its traffic capacity, leading the state to conceive of and build the Francis Scott Key Bridge, the final link for the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695).

The bridge, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers, is one of the longest continuous-truss bridges in the United States.

The now-defunct Greiner Engineering Sciences Inc., which also built the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, began construction in 1972 of what at the time was called the Outer Harbor Crossing.

Harry R. Hughes, then state secretary of transportation, was on hand to collect the first 75-cent toll.

The bridge arched over the Patapsco River from Hawkins Point, in Baltimore City, to Sollers Point, in Baltimore County.

The four-lane bridge, which soared 185 feet above the Fort McHenry Channel, the entranceway to the Baltimore Harbor, hosted 7,448 vehicles in its first 11 hours of operation.

Tolls were 75 cents for passenger cars and 50 cents an axle for trucks.

“For the first time, motorists will also be offered a dramatic panorama: not only of the downtown skyline, but Fort McHenry, Canton, the Inner Harbor, the hills of Catonsville, Towson’s high rises and the television tower near Druid Hill Park,” The Sun reported.

The steel bridge is one of the harbor’s three toll crossings and is located on the I-695 outer-harbor crossing. It’s part of a 10.9-mile Beltway span that includes a dual-span drawbridge over Curtis Creek and two parallel bridge structures carrying traffic over Bear Creek, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

How is the bridge used?

The bridge, which cost about $110 million in the 1970s, was seen as an efficient alternative because it has lower operating and maintenance costs, as well as more traffic lanes than the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.

The bridge carried more than 12.4 million commercial and passenger vehicles in 2023, according to a state government report issued in November.

The Key Bridge allows wide loads and hazardous material that can’t go through the Harbor Tunnel or Fort McHenry Tunnel. Currently, vehicles transporting hazardous materials are prohibited in tunnels and “should use the western section of I-695 around tunnels,” the transportation authority posted on social media.

What was the economic impact of the bridge?

With the collapse of the Key Bridge, one of Maryland’s major sources of revenue is at a halt.

The Port of Baltimore has created about 15,300 direct jobs and with nearly 140,000 jobs linked to port activities, according to a February statement from Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat.

Moore said in the statement that the port ranks first among those in the nation for volume of automobiles and light trucks, roll-on-roll-off heavy farm and construction machinery, and imported sugar and gypsum.

The Port of Baltimore handled 847,158 cars and light trucks last year, which led all other ports in the nation in its 13th consecutive year, according to the February release.

Baltimore Sun librarian Paul McCardell contributed to this article.