ICONIC BALTIMORE KEY BRIDGE COLLAPSES

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By Akin Ojumu

Baltimoreans woke up this Tuesday morning to the shocking news of the collapse of the Key Bridge. Dali, a Danish shipping company Maersk chartered the Singapore-flagged container ship, mere thirty minutes into its 27-day voyage to Sri Lanka is said to have rammed into the bridge causing it to collapse.

For all Marylanders and those of us who call Baltimore home, this is a tragic incident of an unimaginable proportion. Opened in 1977, the iconic Key Bridge, one of two of such bridges we have in the City of Baltimore, is like a carotid artery through which flows much of the history of our community. The Key Bridge is Baltimore and Baltimore is the Key Bridge.

As important as the historical value of the Key Bridge is to all Baltimoreans, so is its critical commercial importance. The Baltimore Harbor is a major shipping hub, and the Key Bridge, which spans the Patapsco River, is a critical shipping lane and a vital connection for commuters and transportation of goods and services across Baltimore’s waterways. 

More than 50 million tons of cargo left the Baltimore harbor in 2023. It is estimated that 11.5 million and 31,500 vehicles travel through the Key Bridge on an annual and daily basis respectively.

Even with the shock and heartbreak that Baltimoreans feel this morning, there’s still a silver lining in this tragedy. That it happened at 2 am is a divine intervention. Had the incident occurred during the rush hour when the bridge is usually packed with commuters, we would have been talking about a catastrophic loss of human lives.

To look at the Baltimore City skyline and not see the Key Bridge standing there in all its majestic grandeur is an unspeakable tragedy for all Marylanders. Seeing the sheer emptiness and mangled masses of what’s left of the bridge’s pylons is quite startling. As we process this huge loss, we’ll most definitely suffer a phantom limb syndrome well into the future until the bridge is repaired.

As search and rescue mission continues, we’ll keep those who might have fallen into the cold waters of the Patapsco River in our prayers that they may be found safely. 

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