Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)
Francis Scott Key Bridge | |
|---|---|
View from Fort Armistead Park in 2015 | |
| Coordinates | 39°13′01″N 76°31′42″W / 39.2169°N 76.5283°W |
| Carried | 4 lanes of I-695 Toll |
| Crossed | Patapsco River |
| Locale | Baltimore metropolitan area, Maryland, U.S. |
| Maintained by | Maryland Transportation Authority |
| ID number | 300000BCZ472010 |
| Website | web |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Steel arch-shaped continuous through truss bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 8,636 feet (2,632.3 m; 1.6 mi) |
| Width | 58 feet (18 m) |
| Height | 358 feet (109 m) |
| Longest span | 1,200 feet (366 m) |
| Clearance below | 185 feet (56 m) |
| History | |
| Designer | J. E. Greiner Company |
| Construction start | 1972 |
| Opened | March 23, 1977 |
| Collapsed | March 26, 2024 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 34,000 |
| Toll | $4 (suspended) |
| Location | |
Interactive map of Francis Scott Key Bridge | |
The Francis Scott Key Bridge (informally, Key Bridge or Beltway Bridge) was a highway bridge that crossed the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor/Port. It was opened on March 23, 1977, to carry the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695 or I-695) between Dundalk and Hawkins Point.
Initially named the Outer Harbor Crossing, the bridge was renamed in 1976 for poet Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner", the U.S. national anthem. At 8,636 feet (2,632 m), it was the second-longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area, after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Its main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) was the third-longest of any continuous truss in the world.
Operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the bridge was the outermost of three crossings of Baltimore's harbor, along with the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels, all of which require tolls for passage. It carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually, including trucks carrying hazardous materials prohibited in the tunnels. It completed the last gap in I-695's circuit of the city, although the bridge roadway was officially a state road: the unsigned Maryland Route 695.
On March 26, 2024, the main span collapsed when a container ship struck one of its piers, killing six workers who were doing maintenance on the bridge at the time. As of March 2026, the remnants are being demolished and a replacement bridge is being built at the site, with completion schedule in late 2030.