Francis Scott Key Bridge (I-695) complete collapse after large ship hits it

[74/171FAN]

I've been on this bridge a handful of times, especially before the Fort McHenry Tunnel was finished.  I wonder how many people will use DE 1 and US 301 as a detour.  (Probably not too many before 301 gets perpetually jammed in Southern Maryland.)

I think the people that would use that detour would avoid Baltimore normally anyway.

[Ted$8roadFan]

(Love the new design of the forum).

My heart breaks for those affected I've been on the bridge a couple of times. It was a nice drive, but I would never use 695 east from I-97 as an Eastern bypass around Baltimore - too long. But then again, I can use either the Harbor Tunnel or the McHenry Tunnel. I'm not a hazmat truck. I imagine those trucks will need to use Baltimore surface streets, 695 from Catonsville thru to Whitemarsh, or the Bay Bridge. None of which seem like an ideal option.

[freebrickproductions]

...perhaps at the Federal level too for other bridges across the country.

TBQH, I'm kinda surprised similar wasn't implemented after the Sunshine Skyway collapse, given that the cause of that collapse was similar. Not to get too political,of course, but I wouldn't be too surprised if Reagan taking power the following year caused any proposals there may have been at the time to get squashed...

[webny99]

I've rewatched the clip so many times and still can't fathom this. An area landmark gone in seconds. Massive implications.

It is truly hard to believe that the video is real. It happened in seconds but also feels like slow motion domino effect when watching it. The five seconds between impact and when the bridge starts to collapse are painstaking.

[Voyager]

Horrifying to listen to in real time

https://twitter.com/BNODesk/status/1772564974965035349

[D-Dey65]

I've been on this bridge a handful of times, especially before the Fort McHenry Tunnel was finished.  I wonder how many people will use DE 1 and US 301 as a detour.  (Probably not too many before 301 gets perpetually jammed in Southern Maryland.)

I think the people that would use that detour would avoid Baltimore normally anyway.

Yes, but you can be sure more people are going to crowd up those roads now.

[1995hoo]

I was thinking about the tunnel issue while I was out fur a walk. It seems to me that the depth is a non-issue because any ships accessing the Port of Baltimore also have to clear the tunnels at the mouth of the Chesapeake as part of the bridge-tunnel. Those two tunnels are essentially a limiting factor. So in principle, tunneling under the Patapsco wouldn't be an issue in that respect, though it poses financial issues and the issue of how long it would have to be.

[Stephane Dumas]

I've rewatched the clip so many times and still can't fathom this. An area landmark gone in seconds. Massive implications.

It is truly hard to believe that the video is real. It happened in seconds but also feels like slow motion domino effect when watching it. The five seconds between impact and when the bridge starts to collapse are painstaking.

Yeah, and it was a bit similar to the I-35W St. Anthony Falls bridge collapse back in 2007.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzixH0N96Fc

[Jim]

I typically drive through or around Baltimore a few times a year.  My route is most often US 301 now but I've done the tunnels and the Key Bridge many times as well.  On the most recent trip SB, some time in 2023, I took the Key Bridge in part because we hadn't in a while.  The Key Bridge was also always one of the landmarks I looked for when taking off from or landing at BWI.  I'll be flying through Baltimore a week from today.  I am not sure if I want to get a view of the wreckage or not.

[Strider]

I cannot believe the bridge collapsed. I was hoping to drive there one day. I will bet that they will build a new bridge similar to either the Sunshine Skyway or perhaps the twinned Goethals Bridge, but it will not have the same feeling as the old one.

[jmacswimmer]

Just announced by the Coast Guard live from the site that the search-and-rescue is officially suspended and transitioning to recovery - the 6 unaccounted construction workers are now presumed dead.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/us/live-news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-03-26-24-intl-hnk/index.html

[bing101]

Just announced by the Coast Guard live from the site that the search-and-rescue is officially suspended and transitioning to recovery - the 6 unaccounted construction workers are now presumed dead.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/us/live-news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-03-26-24-intl-hnk/index.html

Oof sorry to hear this and this is Maryland's biggest bridge didaster. 

[roadman65]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

[PColumbus73]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

[wdcrft63]

There's a press report that the ship had experienced power outages while in port. Does anyone have authority to stop an ailing ship from leaving?

[ilpt4u]

There's a press report that the ship had experienced power outages while in port. Does anyone have authority to stop an ailing ship from leaving?

I know nothing of the laws of the seas and shipping, but that sounds like something that is part of the US Coast Guard's charge. But just like state highway cops and even DOT/commercial division highway cops on the freeway, the USCG can't screen every shipping vessel in a US port for sea-worthiness

[Rothman]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

Bay Bridge doesn't have heavy harbor traffic.

[epzik8]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

Although I'd imagine this would prompt a search into that.

[roadman65]

Curious if they'll try and reuse the old bridge approaches (doubtful) or just create a new Cable Stayed Bridge like the Sunshine Skyway disaster ended up doing.

Right. This day and era it's practical to just rebuild than reuse.  Look at McDonalds and Wendy's replacing stores rather than remodel. It will be cable stayed no doubt as steel arches are now with bell bottoms .

[webny99]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

Bay Bridge doesn't have heavy harbor traffic.

Interesting. It somehow never occurred to me that Baltimore port traffic would use the C&D canal.

[Bobby5280]

I was pretty shocked to wake up this morning to news of Key Bridge collapsing. The video is pretty horrifying. I drove across the Key Bridge a few times in the 1980's and early 1990's when I lived in Northern Virginia and New York City. I guess having been on the bridge before makes the video even more scary.

Are there any regulations about protection for bridge piers in navigable ship channels? The supports for this bridge were pretty much just "naked" to any sort of ship collision. There were no foundation structures extending outward from the bridge piers. There were no independent guide structures, dolphins or jetties built around the bridge piers. Funny thing: the electrical transmission lines running just North of the Key Bridge had protective structures built around their support pylons.

I thought it was normal for high rise bridges to have some sorts of protective safeguards built around them. I lived near the Verrazano Narrows Bridge for 4 years and was used to seeing the rock jetties (or whatever they're called) built around the base of the piers. I imagine one purpose of the rock structures was to protect against soil erosion, but they also could help deflect a direct strike from a ship.

Anyway, I imagine a cable stay bridge will replace the old bridge. There probably isn't nearly enough traffic to justify building a twin span structure like a few other major cable stay bridges that have been built recently. Hopefully the new bridge will at least up traffic capacity to 3 lanes in each direction.

[roadman65]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

Bay Bridge doesn't have heavy harbor traffic.

Interesting. It somehow never occurred to me that Baltimore port traffic would use the C&D canal.

Same here. To me I would assume the Dali is too wide for that particular Chanel. Although all five road bridges over the canal have their piers on dry land, so an accident like this wouldn't be prominent.  However, the railroad lift bridge in Delaware could be problematic for a vessel like this losing power though as its structure is close to the shipping lane.

[D-Dey65]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

The Maryland MTA had better fix that.

There's a press report that the ship had experienced power outages while in port. Does anyone have authority to stop an ailing ship from leaving?

That was while they were in port? I thought it was while they were departing. My assumption was that once they were having those power outages, they had lost control of the ship. Even if it was at port, where were they going to get a spare ship on a moments notice?

[PColumbus73]

It could have sailed further and experienced troubles down the bay and hit the Annapolis Bay Bridge instead which would be much worse. 

A least the Key Bridge has closer alternates to circumvent.  The Bay Bridge has no other crossings across the Chesapeake to use at all.

If it had been the Bay Bridge, I would hope that a ship wouldn't be able to take out both bridges. And speaking of the Bay Bridge, it doesn't look like either one has any kind of protection against a ship strike.

Bay Bridge doesn't have heavy harbor traffic.

Interesting. It somehow never occurred to me that Baltimore port traffic would use the C&D canal.

Same here. To me I would assume the Dali is too wide for that particular Chanel. Although all five road bridges over the canal have their piers on dry land, so an accident like this wouldn't be prominent.  However, the railroad lift bridge in Delaware could be problematic for a vessel like this losing power though as its structure is close to the shipping lane.

https://www.google.com/maps/@38.9920138,-76.3769764,3a,15y,199.04h,87.51t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1soe-887sJUk8nQ6zIumfgxA!2e0!5s20220901T000000!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

Streetview has several ships near the Bay Bridge, suggests to me that the Chesapeake would be the preferred route for cargo into Baltimore.

[edwaleni]

There's a press report that the ship had experienced power outages while in port. Does anyone have authority to stop an ailing ship from leaving?

Yes, the Harbor Pilot.

He was actually running the ship at the time. He was the one who called in the mayday. You could hear the ship alarms going off when he did.