Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)

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pWotD Episode 2520: Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)
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With 1,446,189 views on Tuesday, 26 March 2024 our article of the day is Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore).
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was a steel arch continuous through truss bridge spanning the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor / Port carrying Maryland Route 695 (the Baltimore Beltway) between Hawkins Point, a neighborhood of Baltimore, and Dundalk in Maryland, United States. The main spans of the bridge were destroyed on March 26, 2024, when a container ship, the MV Dali, crashed into one of its support pillars. The crossing between Baltimore City and Baltimore County also passed through a small portion of Anne Arundel County. It was first known as the Outer Harbor Crossing until 1976, when it was renamed while still under construction. It has also been known as Key Bridge or Beltway Bridge. The main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) was the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world, and the total length was 8,636 feet (2,632 m) long. It was the second-longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area, after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.
The bridge was opened on March 23, 1977, named for amateur poet Francis Scott Key (1779–1843), the author of the lyrics to the American national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner". The Key Bridge was a toll facility operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). The bridge was the outermost of three toll crossings of Baltimore's Harbor, two tunnels and one bridge.
The bridge carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually. It was a designated hazardous materials truck route, as HAZMATs were prohibited in the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels. Once completed, the bridge structure and its approaches became the final links in Interstate 695, the "Baltimore Beltway", completing a two-decade-long project. Despite being signed as part of I-695, the bridge was officially considered part of the state highway system and designated Maryland Route 695.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 06:13 UTC on Wednesday, 27 March 2024.
For the full current version of the article, see Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore) on Wikipedia.
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