The Francis Scott Key Bridge has carried I-695 visitors over the Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor for almost 5 a long time. On Tuesday morningit collapsed into the water under after a container ship slammed into one of its help columns.
The historical past of the bridge dates again to the Sixties when Maryland transportation officers started wanting right into a second harbor crossing to complement the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. Initially, they proposed one other tunnel system. But after costs on bid proposals far exceeded what they estimated, they began plans for a four-lane bridge.
In 1971, the General Assembly authorized these plans. Construction on the bridge started the following yr, already years not on time and hundreds of thousands of {dollars} over price range.
A yr earlier than its completion, the bridge was named in honor of Francis Scott Key who wrote the Star-Spangle Banner in 1814 whereas watching the British naval bombardment of Fort McHenry. A buoy in the colours of the U.S. flag marks the place Key’s ship was throughout the bombardment, about 100 yards away from the place the bridge now stands.
The Key Bridge carries greater than 11 million autos every year.
