Architecture News

Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge Completely Collapses

Francis Scott Key Bridge_collapse — The Francis Scott Key Bridge In Baltimore following its catastrophic May 26 collapse. *Photo by Scott Adams/U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Wikimedia Commons*

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has completely collapsed. As seen in a widely-circulated video, the cause was a ship that struck the bridge around 1:30 this morning. There were likely multiple people on the bridge at the time. As of a 6:30am press conference, two people had been removed from the water—one in good condition, the other sent to a nearby trauma center—but the scene remains an active search and rescue mission, and sonar has detected the presence of vehicles beneath the water.

Baltimore mayor Brandon Scott called it an “unthinkable tragedy.”

Here's video of the collapse of the Francis Key Scott Bridge from this morning. The bridge was struck by a cargo ship just before 1:30 a.m. A search is underway for at least seven people. pic.twitter.com/FRGHeJ1gIe
— The Baltimore Banner (@BaltimoreBanner) March 26, 2024

CCTV video of catastrophic March 26 collapse of Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore. Courtesy @BaltimoreBanner via X/Twitter

Named for the author of the American national anthem, the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge opened in March 1977 as the final link in I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway) and the outer crossing of the Baltimore Harbor.

It is unclear whether the collision with one of the bridge’s support pillars was the result of a mechanical problem or human error. The Dali, the Singaporean cargo ship that hit the bridge, had just left the port of Baltimore less than a half-hour before the catastrophic event, beginning what was to be a nearly month-long journey to Sri Lanka.

The steel arch-shaped continuous truss bridge carried almost 35,000 commercial and passenger vehicles daily, for an estimated 12.4 million in 2023. Its main span of 1,200 feet was the third longest of any continuous truss in the world. Now, roads are closed heading into Baltimore, including I-695, and Maryland’s governor has declared a state of emergency.