Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Five facts to know about Francis Scott Key Bridge

At least six people who went missing after a cargo ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are presumed dead, the city officials said.

Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, termed the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge on Tuesday a tragic event. The bridge was hit by a cargo ship that lost power, causing unprecedented damage. This incident is heartbreaking, especially for the residents of Baltimore, the largest city in Maryland. "The words 'the Key Bridge is gone,' it is still sinking in. For 47 years, that is all we have known. It is not just unprecedented, it is heartbreaking," Moore said.

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Here are five things to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge:

1. Francis Scott Key, who authored the US national anthem ('The Star-Spangled Banner'), lent his name to the bridge. On March 26,the bridge collapsed, which was three days past the 47th anniversary of its opening.
2. Built in 1972 over the Patapsco River, this 1.6-mile bridge completed Interstate 695, an auxiliary highway around Baltimore.
3. According to Governor Moore, the "normal commuting route" was used by approximately 30,000 individuals daily. On average, ithandles around 11.3 million (1.13 crore) vehicles per year.
4. The steel bridge had an arched structure with four lanes, out of which the primary one was 1200 feet (366 meters) long. At the time of its opening, it was the second-largest continuous truss bridge in the world, and it remained the third-largest globally and the second-largest in the United States. The total length of the bridge was 8636 feet (2632 metres).
5. The Francis Scott Key bridge, which was rated 'fair' by the Federal Highway Administration in June 2023, is not the same as the six-lane bridge over the Potomac River between Rosslyn, Virginia, and Georgetown, Washington DC.

(With inputs from agencies)