When the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed from the collision of the Dali container ship in March 2024, it shook Baltimore and surrounding communities. The impact was felt especially in Anne Arundel County, which borders Hawkins Point, the southernmost connection to the bridge.
The 100,000-pound cargo ship crashed into a pier of Baltimore’s Key Bridge, causing its collapse and the death of six bridge construction workers in the early hours of March 26—one of whom was Miguel Angel Lina Gonzalez, who had lived in Glen Burnie.
And taking away a convenient connecting point between Baltimore and Anne Arundel County, the bridge’s collapse affected traffic to and from businesses on both sides.
Now, a little over a year after the tragedy, Maryland is partnering with organizations seeking to bolster economic recovery efforts, and the building of a new bridge
is finally underway.
Last month, the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council launched the Key Business Recovery Program as part of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s Maryland Tough Baltimore Strong program—in which the council will oversee a two-year project that supports 100 small businesses within a 5- to 10-mile radius of the bridge, including Northern Anne Arundel County communities such as Brooklyn Park, Northern Pasadena and Glen Burnie.
Businesses in these communities requested financial aid through crmsdc.org/keybridge, which is now closed to applicants as of late March.
While these and other recovery efforts are being set in motion, a team of engineers headquartered in Anne Arundel County is hard at work on a new bridge design announced in February.
The rebuilt bridge will be constructed entirely within the old bridge’s right of way and in a style that “substantially conforms to the preexisting design, function and location of the original,” a Key Bridge Rebuild representative shared with Chesapeake Family Life in a statement via email.
This means the two 12-foot lanes in each direction will be the same as before and the bridge will retain its access points.
These design decisions stemmed from pre-construction assessments completed in January by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), bridge designer and engineering consultant as part of the Key Bridge Rebuild, according to a February news release from the governor’s office.
These included topographic surveys, underwater surveys and soil sampling, which will provide important data points to inform design and construction decisions, according to the Key Bridge Rebuild statement.
Using this design concept, the project will advance with final design and regulatory approvals before starting construction.
“Massive chunks of bridge debris” still remain in the water, but a team of engineers have begun the rebuilding effort, The Baltimore Banner reports.
Area residents are likely to resume use of the bridge in October 2028.
“The new Key Bridge design shows it will be a gateway to Baltimore City, connecting communities and workers for generations to come,” says Maryland Department of Transportation Secretary and MDTA board chair Paul J. Wiedefeld, in a news release. “The design is optimized to meet the needs of the region by supporting growth at the Port of Baltimore and reconnecting communities.”
The project team has even tapped on Maryland communities to give input on the rebuild.
“To ensure transparency and community engagement, the project team has connected with thousands of Marylanders through forums and community updates and will continue to gather the public’s preferences on the non-structural design elements—ensuring that the bridge resonates with Marylanders,” the governor’s news release states.
CBS reports that the choice to retain the original Key Bridge’s architecture with structural improvements will also make the new bridge taller to easily accommodate ship traffic.
The reconstructed bridge will be 24% taller, with 230 feet of vertical clearance from the water to the bridge deck, compared to the original bridge’s 185 feet, according to Key Bridge Rebuild.
The Key Bridge Rebuild representative shared that MDTA chose a cable-stayed bridge for its affordability and how quickly it can be constructed, as opposed to the original Key Bridge, a steel arch continuous truss bridge. With a lifespan of 100 years, this new bridge will be Maryland’s first highway cable-stayed bridge.
“Cable-stayed bridges have proven to be the most economical bridge type for bridges with similar span lengths to the new Key Bridge and allow for a faster construction time compared to other complex bridge types,” according to the Key Bridge Rebuild statement.
The estimated $1.9 billion cost of rebuilding will be covered by federal funds.
“After the heartbreaking collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Team Maryland made a commitment that we would rebuild and recover together,” Congresswoman Sarah Elfreth says in a news release. “Today marks a great milestone on the path forward, and I look forward to the day that we can look out over the Patapsco [River] and see the Key Bridge standing tall again.”
