Funding is being sought to replace the collapsed Francis Scott Bridge in Baltimore – image courtesy of © Charlie Floyd| Dreamstime.com The US president Joe Biden is requesting US$3.1 billion from congress to rebuild Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge, as well as a number of other key highway links. The largest chunk of the funding will be for the bridge replacement project.The bridge suffered a catastrophic collapse in March 2024 when a large container vessel that had lost power rammed into it. The crew of the stricken vessel were able to warn the bridge authorities who stopped traffic but six construction workers carrying out deck maintenance were unable to escape in time and were killed. Although the Francis Scott Bridge had passed its most recent safety inspections and was in comparatively good order, it opened for use in 1977 and was never built to withstand a collision from such a large vessel. Research is being carried out in the US at present to see how many other older bridges are at risk from collapse in the event of being struck by a vessel. The emergency funding package would allow the US Department of Transport to pay for a new bridge, which is likely to take until 2028 to be ready for traffic. The wreckage of the old bridge has been cleared aside allowing ships to use the busy channel in and out of the port of Baltimore. However, the 30,000/day drivers who previously used the link to traverse the Patapsco River on I-695 now face a lengthy diversion to use the I-895 crossing instead and which now suffers additional congestion.
