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Francis Scott Key Bridge (Baltimore)
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with the Francis Scott Key Bridge (Washington, D.C.)
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, also known as the Outer Harbor Bridge or simply the Key Bridge, is a continuous truss bridge
Continuous truss bridge
A continuous truss bridge is a truss bridge which extends without hinges or joints across three or more supports. A continuous truss bridge may use less material than a series of simple trusses because a continuous truss distributes live loads across all the spans; in a series of simple trusses,...
spanning the Patapsco River
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River is a river in central Maryland which flows into Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore...
in Baltimore, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The main span of 1200 feet (366 m) is the third longest span of any continuous truss in the world.
The bridge was opened in March 1977 and is named for the author of the Star Spangled Banner, Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key
Francis Scott Key was an American lawyer, author, and amateur poet, from Georgetown, who wrote the lyrics to the United States' national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner".-Life:...
. The bridge is the outermost of three toll crossings of Baltimore’s Harbor. The bridge's traffic problem is notorious; among some, it's known as the Car Strangled Spanner. Upon completion, the bridge structure and its approaches became the final links in Interstate 695
Interstate 695 (Maryland)
Interstate 695 is a -long full beltway Interstate Highway extending around Baltimore, Maryland, USA. I-695 is officially designated the McKeldin Beltway, but is colloquially referred to as either the Baltimore Beltway or 695...
(the Baltimore Beltway). Despite the I-695 signage, the bridge is officially considered part of Maryland Route 695.
The span is 1200 feet (366 m) long and carries an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually. This bridge is a designated hazardous materials truck route, as HAZMATs are prohibited in the two tunnels.
The Key Bridge is a toll facility operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority
Maryland Transportation Authority
The Maryland Transportation Authority is an independent state agency responsible for financing, constructing, operating, and maintaining eight toll facilities, currently consisting of two toll roads, two tunnels, and four bridges in Maryland...
. The current toll rate for cars is $2.00. The bridge is also part of the E-ZPass
E-ZPass
E-ZPass is an electronic toll-collection system used on most tolled roads, bridges, and tunnels in the northeastern US, south to Virginia and West Virginia, and west to Illinois. Currently, there are 25 agencies spread across 14 states that make up the . All member agencies use the same technology,...
system, and includes two dedicated E-ZPass lanes in its toll plaza in both the northbound and southbound directions.
Background
In the 1960s, the Maryland Transportation Authority concluded there was a need for a second harbor crossing and began planning a single-tube tunnelTunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, completely enclosed except for openings for egress, commonly at each end.A tunnel may be for foot or vehicular road traffic, for rail traffic, or for a canal. Some tunnels are aqueducts to supply water for consumption or for hydroelectric stations or are sewers...
under the Patapsco River, downstream from the Harbor Tunnel. The proposed site was between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point. Plans also were underway for a drawbridge
Drawbridge
A drawbridge is a type of movable bridge typically associated with the entrance of a castle surrounded by a moat. The term is often used to describe all different types of movable bridges, like bascule bridges and lift bridges.-Castle drawbridges:...
over Curtis Creek
Curtis Creek
Curtis Creek is a tidal creek located in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel County, Maryland. It is a tributary of Curtis Bay. The creek begins at the confluence of Furnace Creek and Marley Creek and flows north about to Curtis Bay.-External links:**...
to connect Hawkins Point to Sollers Point.
Contractors took borings of the harbor bottom in the spring of 1969. Bids for construction of the proposed tunnel were opened on July 30, 1970, but price proposals were substantially higher than the engineering estimates. Officials drafted alternative plans, including the concept of a four-lane bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
.
The bridge, at an estimated cost of $110 (USD) million, represented the best alternative because it allowed for more traffic lanes and carried lower operating and maintenance costs than a tunnel. In addition, a bridge would provide a route across the Baltimore Harbor for vehicles transporting hazardous materials (these materials are prohibited from both the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels).
Construction began in 1972, and the bridge opened to traffic on March 23, 1977. Including its connecting approaches, the bridge project is 10.9 miles (17.54 km) in length. Other structures along the thruway include a 0.64 miles (1.03 km) dual-span drawbridge over Curtis Creek and two 0.74 miles (1.19 km) parallel bridge structures that carry traffic over Bear Creek, near the former Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
Sparrows Point
Sparrows Point
Sparrows Point is an unincorporated area in Baltimore County, Maryland, adjacent to Dundalk, Maryland. Named for Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known for steelmaking and shipbuilding....
plant, this portion of the project not being fully complete until the late 1990s.
Located in an area rich with American history, scholars believe the span crosses within 100 yards (91.4 m) of the site, marked in the water off the bridge by a stars and striped painted buoy, where Francis Scott Key witnessed the bombardment of Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry
Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland, is a star-shaped fort best known for its role in the War of 1812, when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in Chesapeake Bay...
on the evening of September 12, 1814. That battle inspired Key to write the words of the Star Spangled Banner. Located just southeast of the bridge are the ruins of Fort Carroll
Fort Carroll
Fort Carroll is a 3.4 acre artificial island and abandoned fort in the middle of the Patapsco River, just south of Baltimore, Maryland...
.
There is another bridge called the Francis Scott Key Bridge
Francis Scott Key Bridge (Washington)
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, more commonly known as the Key Bridge, is a six-lane reinforced concrete arch bridge conveying U.S. Route 29 traffic across the Potomac River between the Rosslyn neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia and the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C...
, located in Washington, DC on US 29
U.S. Route 29 in the District of Columbia
U.S. Route 29 passes through the District of Columbia between Arlington, Virginia, and Silver Spring, Maryland, predominantly along surface streets.-Route description:...
. It crosses the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
, and links the District to Arlington, Virginia.