All this week, WTOP’s team coverage of “The Key Bridge, One Year Later” revisits an unthinkable, tragic collapse that sent shock waves around the nation and forever changed the face of Baltimore.
Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, like many people, was awakened in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024, by a phone call with stunning news that the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore had collapsed after being struck by a container ship.
He was alerted by his staff and quickly tried to comprehend what happened.
The Democratic lawmaker soon learned he had missed another call in the middle of the night.
That call had come from U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Political leaders in the District and across Maryland were quickly mobilizing to deal with the tragedy, which led to the deaths of six members of a maintenance crew working overnight on the bridge.
“From there, it was just a whirlwind of activity for days and days,” Van Hollen said in an interview with WTOP.
He traveled to the Port of Baltimore, was briefed on the situation and ultimately saw what was left of the collapsed bridge.
“In all of the horror of the moment, it was also a moment where Team USA and Team Maryland joined forces in the wake of a national tragedy,” he said. “And out of the worst of times came the very best of the first responders, people helping families who lost loved ones.”
The bridge collapse set in motion a dizzying number of responses.
After the initial shock, everyone knew they needed to keep working on a number of fronts.
Van Hollen spoke with longshoreman who were out of work because the channel was closed.
He talked to small business owners who were in distress because of the lost business.
Van Hollen pointed out that Maryland was hit with a “double whammy.”
In addition to losing the bridge, an essential corridor for commerce and traffic, the Port of Baltimore was also shut down.
He said the Army Corps of Engineers “played a heroic role,” working to clear the channel and get ships in and out of a port that plays a major economic role in the country’s commerce.
“Everybody responded as they should, and everything seemed to click together,” Van Hollen said.
Funding for a new bridge comes together
Members of Maryland’s congressional delegation knew immediately that it would require a massive amount of federal funding to replace the bridge.
While there were challenges and questions about how the funding would come together, ultimately Congress last December approved $100 billion for disaster relief, including the entire cost of a new Key Bridge.
That stopgap spending measure was again recently extended through the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30, when Congress approved legislation to avoid a government shutdown.
So, is Maryland still in line to get the nearly $2 billion it’s estimated it will cost to build a new bridge?
“Everything is on track,” Van Hollen said. “It was the top priority of the Maryland delegation to secure full federal funding to rebuild the Key Bridge.”
That has happened, as it has in past disasters, when federal emergency funds are needed to take on major projects, such as when a highway bridge collapsed in Minneapolis in 2007.
“So that money is locked away in that fund, and it’s secure,” he said.
“We all made the point that Maryland had been there to support other states in their hour of need,” Van Hollen said. “We hoped and expected the nation would be there for us — and they did come through.”
Work underway on the new span
Van Hollen said it was important to make sure the federal dollars were coming Maryland’s way, so that work to replace the bridge could move forward without uncertainty.
He noted if funding isn’t secured, that can lead to scheduling issues and delays.
But Maryland is moving forward with work on the new span on a number of fronts.
The design for the new bridge was unveiled last month by Gov. Wes Moore.
It will be a “cable-stayed” bridge that will add a modern touch to Baltimore’s skyline.
“The Key Bridge has been an iconic part of the Baltimore city skyline for a long time,” Van Hollen said. “I think the new design keeps the sort of grandeur of that vision.”
He also noted that engineers are using this opportunity to make important changes, such as increasing the height of the bridge.
The bridge will also incorporate the latest pier protection technology, aiming to ensure the unthinkable can never happen again.
It will have two lanes in each direction, like the old bridge, and is expected to be completed by 2028.
The new bridge will also bring a welcome change for commuters and truckers that must still take alternate routes.
“It will be a great relief to people in Baltimore, but far beyond the city, when we can get cars moving across the new Key Bridge,” Van Hollen said.
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