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On March 23, 1977, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, opened.
Hat tip, the Washington Post
This Day in Maryland History: Francis Scott Key Bridge Opens in 1977
BY WAXTER INTERN | MAR 23, 2017
On this day in history – March 23, 1977 – the Francis Scott Key Bridge that spans the Patapsco River in Baltimore opened to traffic. Besides the famous name, the bridge was a major milestone in Maryland’s transportation planning and remains the second longest continuous truss bridge in the United States. ... While most Marylanders have heard of Francis Scott Key and his poem that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, many may not know the story of the bridge that bears his name.
The Key Bridge was a major milestone for the development of the Maryland highway system as it completed the Interstate 695 circuit around Baltimore. It is also a significant engineering accomplishment – and it remains the second longest continuous truss bridge in the United States.
Construction began in August 1972 with the Baltimore firm J. E. Greiner Company serving as the primary engineering consultant. Originally expecting to build a two-lane tunnel, contractors built two-lane approaches on both sides of the harbor, which were not widened to four lanes until 1981. The northern approach had an elevated viaduct and bridge over Bear Creek and passed by Bethlehem Steel complex at Sparrow’s Point. This section of the bridge highway was widened and reconnected to other roads in 2000.
The southernmost transportation route across the Patapsco River, the Key Bridge, runs 1.6 miles and connects Sollers Point to Hawkins Point. The continuous steel truss bridge is 185 high and spans a distance of 1,200 feet. Including connecting approaches, the bridge is 10.9 miles long. Funded entirely by Maryland Transportation Authority toll bonds, the bridge cost $60.3 million. These days, the bridge carries an average of 10.4 million vehicles across the Patapsco River each year.
{snip}
This essay was researched and written by Kyle Fisher a former Preservation Maryland’s Waxter Intern. With degrees in history, communications, and teaching, Kyle has contributed greatly to our education and outreach programs. Learn more about Kyle and our intern program here: presmd.org/waxter.
BY WAXTER INTERN | MAR 23, 2017
On this day in history – March 23, 1977 – the Francis Scott Key Bridge that spans the Patapsco River in Baltimore opened to traffic. Besides the famous name, the bridge was a major milestone in Maryland’s transportation planning and remains the second longest continuous truss bridge in the United States. ... While most Marylanders have heard of Francis Scott Key and his poem that inspired the Star Spangled Banner, many may not know the story of the bridge that bears his name.
The Key Bridge was a major milestone for the development of the Maryland highway system as it completed the Interstate 695 circuit around Baltimore. It is also a significant engineering accomplishment – and it remains the second longest continuous truss bridge in the United States.
Construction began in August 1972 with the Baltimore firm J. E. Greiner Company serving as the primary engineering consultant. Originally expecting to build a two-lane tunnel, contractors built two-lane approaches on both sides of the harbor, which were not widened to four lanes until 1981. The northern approach had an elevated viaduct and bridge over Bear Creek and passed by Bethlehem Steel complex at Sparrow’s Point. This section of the bridge highway was widened and reconnected to other roads in 2000.
The southernmost transportation route across the Patapsco River, the Key Bridge, runs 1.6 miles and connects Sollers Point to Hawkins Point. The continuous steel truss bridge is 185 high and spans a distance of 1,200 feet. Including connecting approaches, the bridge is 10.9 miles long. Funded entirely by Maryland Transportation Authority toll bonds, the bridge cost $60.3 million. These days, the bridge carries an average of 10.4 million vehicles across the Patapsco River each year.
{snip}
This essay was researched and written by Kyle Fisher a former Preservation Maryland’s Waxter Intern. With degrees in history, communications, and teaching, Kyle has contributed greatly to our education and outreach programs. Learn more about Kyle and our intern program here: presmd.org/waxter.
CIVIL ENGINEERING ALMANAC
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge opens
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
This week in civil engineering history: The final link in Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway) is completed with the opening of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 23, 1977.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge (not to be confused with the 1923 bridge of the same name in Washington, D.C.) is the outermost of three major Patapsco River crossings at Baltimore Harbor. Paralleling the earlier (1957) Baltimore Tunnel and later (1985) Fort McHenry Tunnel, the crossing was originally conceived as a tunnel between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point in the outer harbor. The design was changed to a bridge when tunnel construction bids proved too costly in 1970. Benefits offered by a bridge as compared with a tunnel, were the opportunity for additional travel lanes, lower operational and maintenance costs, and to provide an alternate route for vehicles containing hazardous materials, which are prohibited in the tunnels.
Construction began in 1972 and the bridge was opened to traffic on March 23, 1977. Including its connecting approaches, the total project length encompassed a 10.9-mile corridor. The bridge itself, with a total length of 8,636 feet, is a steel arch-shaped continuous-through-truss bridge structure that combines the behaviors of an arch, truss, and cantilever. With a main span of 1,200 feet, it was the second longest continuous-truss bridge span in the world when constructed and remains the second longest in the United States and third in the world.
Originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing, the bridge was renamed after Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Historians believe that the bridge passes within 200 feet of the location in the harbor where Key was detained on a cartel boat when, during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, he was inspired to write the words of the song that became the U.S. national anthem.
Reuben Hull, P.E., PMP, M.ASCE, is civil regional manager for LaBella Associates in Albany, New York, and a self-made historian who has penned numerous articles on civil engineering history. An active ASCE member, Hull is a corresponding member and former chair of the History and Heritage Committee, serves as vice president of the Mohawk-Hudson Section, served as president of the New Hampshire Section, 1999-2000, and was named New Hampshire Young Engineer of the Year in 1997.
Follow his daily Civil Engineering Almanac series on Twitter: @ThisDayInCEHist.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge opens
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
This week in civil engineering history: The final link in Interstate 695 (Baltimore Beltway) is completed with the opening of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 23, 1977.
Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge (not to be confused with the 1923 bridge of the same name in Washington, D.C.) is the outermost of three major Patapsco River crossings at Baltimore Harbor. Paralleling the earlier (1957) Baltimore Tunnel and later (1985) Fort McHenry Tunnel, the crossing was originally conceived as a tunnel between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point in the outer harbor. The design was changed to a bridge when tunnel construction bids proved too costly in 1970. Benefits offered by a bridge as compared with a tunnel, were the opportunity for additional travel lanes, lower operational and maintenance costs, and to provide an alternate route for vehicles containing hazardous materials, which are prohibited in the tunnels.
Construction began in 1972 and the bridge was opened to traffic on March 23, 1977. Including its connecting approaches, the total project length encompassed a 10.9-mile corridor. The bridge itself, with a total length of 8,636 feet, is a steel arch-shaped continuous-through-truss bridge structure that combines the behaviors of an arch, truss, and cantilever. With a main span of 1,200 feet, it was the second longest continuous-truss bridge span in the world when constructed and remains the second longest in the United States and third in the world.
Originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing, the bridge was renamed after Francis Scott Key, author of “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Historians believe that the bridge passes within 200 feet of the location in the harbor where Key was detained on a cartel boat when, during the bombardment of Fort McHenry, he was inspired to write the words of the song that became the U.S. national anthem.
Reuben Hull, P.E., PMP, M.ASCE, is civil regional manager for LaBella Associates in Albany, New York, and a self-made historian who has penned numerous articles on civil engineering history. An active ASCE member, Hull is a corresponding member and former chair of the History and Heritage Committee, serves as vice president of the Mohawk-Hudson Section, served as president of the New Hampshire Section, 1999-2000, and was named New Hampshire Young Engineer of the Year in 1997.
Follow his daily Civil Engineering Almanac series on Twitter: @ThisDayInCEHist.