Inspectors from the Federal Highway Administration noted the 47-year-old bridge was in “satisfactory” condition as recently as 2022.
WASHINGTON — Federal inspectors found no significant issues with the Francis Scott Key Bridge during its most recent inspection in 2022, according to data from the Federal Highway Administration.
The bridge suffered catastrophic damage and collapsed into the Patapsco River early Tuesday morning after a cargo ship, the Singapore-flagged DALI, collided with its southern support pier. The cause of the collision had not yet been determined, although the crew of the ship issued a mayday prior to the crash and video from the scene appears to shows the power on the vessel flicker on and off several times.
None of the 22 people aboard the ship at the time of the collision were reported injured. Rescue efforts were quickly mounted to locate at least eight Maryland Department of Transportation contractors who were working construction on the bridge at the time it collapsed. As of Tuesday afternoon, two people had been rescued from the water and at least one hospitalized as a result.
The bridge, which at more than 1.6 miles was the third-longest continuous truss bridge in the world, had been in use since it first opened to the public in March 1977. More than 30,000 vehicles passed over the bridge each day, including more than 3,000 semi-trucks – making it a key commercial artery. The bridge also served as the only nautical entry point for Baltimore Harbor, which ranks as the ninth biggest port in the U.S. for international cargo and handled a record 52.3 million tons last year.
The bridge was inspected every two years by the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) – most recently in 2022, when inspectors found no significant issues. Inspections of segments of the bridge both above and below water determined nothing was in less than “satisfactory” condition. The report noted protections around the support piers were “in place and functioning” and that the piers were appropriately protected from scour — or the removal of sediment around the piers by water currents.
Noting the economic impact of the bridge’s collapse in a statement Tuesday, President Joe Biden said his administration was committed to getting the bridge “up and running against as soon as possible.” Biden said 15,000 jobs depend directly on transportation over the bridge. The number of jobs that indirectly depend upon transportation over the bridge is likely to be much higher.
According to the FHA’s report, the closest available detour for vehicles that otherwise could have taken Key Bridge adds 25 miles to the trip.
As of Tuesday afternoon, data from the ship-tracking service Marine Traffic showed at least four other cargo ships stuck in the Port of Baltimore without the ability to leave, including a vehicle transport ship with a capacity of 7,800. A dozen other cargo ships destined for Baltimore were anchored in the Chesapeake Bay near Kent Island, with dozens more already underway from ports around the world. The Port of Baltimore is the largest port in America for a number of categories of imports and exports, including automobiles, coal and farm and construction machinery.
The DALI is owned and operated by the Singapore-based company Synergy Marine Group, although it was under contract by Danish shipping company A.P. Moller – Maersk. Maersk released a statement Tuesday following the collision:
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected. We can confirm that the container vessel ‘DALI”’ operated by charter vessel company Synergy Group, is time chartered by Maersk and is carrying Maersk customers’ cargo. No Maersk crew and personnel were onboard the vessel. We are closely following the investigations conducted by authorities and Synergy, and we will do our utmost to keep our customers informed.”
The Dali had been headed for port in Colombo, Sri Lanka. No timetable was immediately given for its removal from the harbor.
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