Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Leaders mark 1 year since Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster

Commemorating the one-year anniversary of the Key Bridge collapse

Leaders and residents in the Baltimore region and across Maryland are marking one year since the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

BALTIMORE - Leaders and residents in the Baltimore region and across Maryland are marking one year since the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Leaders commemorate Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, honoring six victims

What They Said:

Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and others commemorated the day on Wednesday with a ceremony near where the bridge once stood.

"We remember the cold morning in March that changed our state forever. And we remember the tears that we shed and the uncertainty that we all felt," Moore said to the crowd in attendance on Wednesday. "We remember looking out and seeing a deeply painful and unfamiliar site – that a fixture of the Baltimore skyline and the Baltimore spirit – that parts of it were now laying on top of a ship the length of three football fields."

Victims of deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse remembered

The victims of the deadly Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse were remembered near the site where the bridge once stood.

Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Leaders mark 1 year since disaster

Leaders and residents in the city of Baltimore and in Maryland are marking one year since the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The March 26, 2024, disaster occurred when the massive container ship Dali lost power and collided with a supporting column of the bridge. Six construction workers, who were repairing potholes at the time, died when the structure crumbled. The collapse brought months-long closures at Baltimore's port and caused severe traffic congestion, issues that persist across the region today.

According to federal investigators, the Maryland Transportation Authority failed to conduct a recommended vulnerability assessment, which could have identified the bridge’s significant risk of collapse due to ship strikes.

FULL COVERAGE of the Baltimore Bridge Collapse

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Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Leaders mark 1 year since Francis Scott Key Bridge disaster

Plans for a $1.7 billion replacement bridge by 2028 move forward

What's next:

Efforts to rebuild the bridge are underway. Officials have announced that the replacement structure will be taller and more resilient to ship impacts. The new design, a cable-stayed bridge—the first of its kind in the state—is estimated to cost more than $1.7 billion and could be completed by 2028.

The original Francis Scott Key Bridge, a 1.6-mile steel span connecting Baltimore’s industrial communities and providing a bypass for downtown traffic, opened in 1977 after five years of construction.