Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse

The Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement is a project to replace the Francis Scott Key Bridge in greater Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The Key bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, after a container ship struck one of its piers. The southernmost crossing of the lower Patapsco River, the bridge was part of the Interstate Highway System and a major piece of the region's transportation infrastructure: a well-trafficked part of the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695 or I-695) linking Dundalk in Baltimore County and the Hawkins Point neighborhood of Baltimore. It crossed the deep-water shipping channel leading to the Port of Baltimore, one of the country's busiest ports. Officials at the Maryland Department of Transportation have announced plans to replace the bridge by the fourth quarter of 2028 at an estimated cost of $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, also known originally as the Outer Harbor Crossing (until renamed for FSK in 1977) or simply as the Key Bridge or Beltway Bridge, is a steel arch-shaped continuous through truss bridge spanning the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor / Port carrying Maryland Route 695 in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) is the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world. It is also the longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area. The bridge was opened in March 1977 and is named for the author of the American national anthem, the poem originally called "The Defence of Fort McHenry" written in September 1814 and later set to music and entitled the "Star Spangled Banner" by Frederick and Georgetown lawyer /amateur poet Francis Scott Key (1779–1843). The bridge is the outermost of three toll crossings of Baltimore's Harbor (two tunnels and one bridge). Upon completion, the bridge structure and its approaches became the final links in Interstate 695 (the "Baltimore Beltway"), completing a two decades long project. Despite the I-695 signage, the bridge is officially considered part of the state highway system and designated Maryland Route 695.The bridge is 8,636 feet (2,632 m) long and carries an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually. It is a designated hazardous materials truck route, as HAZMATs are prohibited in the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels. The Key Bridge is a toll facility operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA). The toll rate for cars as of July 1, 2013 is $4.00. The bridge is also part of the E-ZPass system, and includes two dedicated E-ZPass lanes in its toll plaza in both the northbound and southbound directions. In April 2019, MDTA announced that the bridge will become a cashless toll facility by October 2019. With this system, customers without E-ZPass pay using video tolling. Cashless tolling began on the bridge on October 30, 2019.

Fort Armistead was a United States Army coastal defense fort, active from 1901 to 1920, that defended Baltimore, Maryland.

The Hawkins Point Light was an unusual screw-pile lighthouse which displayed the front light to the Brewerton Channel Range. It was eventually superseded by an iron tower on the same foundation.

Fort Carroll Light is a derelict lighthouse consisting of a short wooden tower on the walls of its namesake fortifications in the Patapsco River.

Fort Carroll is a 3.4-acre (1.4 ha) artificial island and abandoned hexagonal sea fort in the middle of the Patapsco River, just south of Baltimore, Maryland. It is named for Charles Carroll of Carrollton (1737–1832), a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Thoms Cove, the nickname for Thomas Cove, is a natural cove approximately 1,500 feet (0.28 mi) in diameter in Hawkins Point, Baltimore on the northeastern end of the peninsula with the tidal Patapsco River to the northeast, Curtis Bay to the northwest, Hawkins Point to the west and I-695 to the south. Thoms Cove is bordered by Eastalco Aluminum Company's loading and storage facility and a Superfund landfill. It is in the USGS quadrangle "Curtis Bay" and a Maryland grid coordinate of 500800N and 928000E and is largely administered by the Maryland Port Administration.

Hawkins Point is a neighborhood in the South District of Baltimore, located at the southern tip of the city between Curtis Bay (north) and the Anne Arundel County line (south) and Thoms Cove (east). Its land area covers 2.6 square miles (6.7 km2), and it had a population of 24 people according to the 2020 U.S. Census. The neighborhood is predominantly industrial.Industrial residents of Hawkins Point include the Quarantine Road Sanitary Landfill, owned by Baltimore City, a 67-acre hazardous waste landfill at 5501 Quarantine Road, owned by the Maryland Port Administration (MPA) and now a Superfund site and a foundry at 4000 Hawkins Point Road owned by Eastalco Aluminum Company.

The Leading Point Light was an unusual lighthouse which displayed the rear light to the Brewerton Channel Range. It was eventually superseded by an iron tower on the same foundation.

The Riverside Generating Station is a 261 MW electric generating station operated by Exelon that is located at 4000 Broening Highway in Dundalk, Maryland. The station is on Sollers Point on the Patapsco River.

The Alum Chine explosion was a disaster that occurred in the Patapsco River near Baltimore, Maryland on March 7, 1913. The tramp steamer Alum Chine exploded while loading dynamite, killing 33 and injuring 60.

Baltimore Municipal Airport ("Harbor Field") is a former airport and United States Air Force airfield about 6 miles southeast of Baltimore, Maryland on an artificial peninsula. Construction began in 1929 with a seaplane base and was completed in 1941. It closed on 30 December 1960. The western half of the airport was within the city of Baltimore, whereas the eastern half was in Dundalk, in Baltimore County. Today the former airfield is the site of the Dundalk Marine Terminal, a multi-use shipping facility of the Port of Baltimore.