A view of the construction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The image is dated April 1976. (MDOT)
The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore spanned the distance across the Patapsco River. But it also spanned time.
The Key Bridge was built in the 1970s and completed the Baltimore Beltway. The bridge’s time was tragically cut short on March 26, 2024 when the container ship Dali struck one of its piers, causing the bridge to collapse. The bridge was a critical connection for Baltimore commuters and commerce.
Last year, we found some old slides in the office. A few were labeled “Outer Harbor Crossing,” the original name of the Key Bridge. The images we found reveal views of the construction of the Key Bridge in the mid-1970s. Dates stamped on the slides when they were developed appear to confirm their content. I have no idea if these images have ever been published before. A reverse image search through Google yielded similar images but not exact matches.
The images took us back to the early years of the bridge. I learned that plans for building a Patapsco River crossing dated back to the 1950s. The Outer Harbor crossing was initially conceived as a tunnel, but that plan was too costly. In the 1970s, the concept of the crossing as a bridge would take shape, and the bridge would open in March of 1977.
It served the Baltimore region 47 years.
View of the construction of the Key Bridge in 1976. The bridge, Outer Harbor Crossing at Hawkins Point, opened in March of 1977. (MDOT)
A man at the construction site of the Outer Harbor Crossing project in the 1970s.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was originally known as the Outer Harbor Crossing. (MDOT)
Since the tragic allision and collapse, the Maryland Transportation Authority – an agency of the Maryland Department of Transportation and owner and operator of the Key Bridge – has made great progress to advance the rebuilding of the Bridge and reconnect the I-695 Baltimore Beltway.
Governor Wes Moore last month unveiled the design concept for the new Bridge, offering a fresh vision for one of Baltimore’s most iconic transportation landmarks. The unveiling marked a significant milestone in the multi-year project, which aims to restore the connection to the community for future generations and improve both accessibility and economic growth.
It will be some time before we can cross the Patapsco River at Hawkins Point again. Until then, pictures can help bridge the time between the old bridge and the new one.
Christopher Berinato is a digital media manager at the Maryland Department of Transportation.
