One Year After Key Bridge Tragedy, Community Looks Toward Healing and Rebuilding
Maryland people who grew up and now live in Southeast Baltimore County think the Francis Scott Key Bridge represents happy memories and history.
Whether it was a 15-minute trip across the bridge to see friends and relatives in Glen Burnie or reminiscing about the bridge’s construction, the sad collapse one year ago elicited a range of emotions.
“When you approach the Key Bridge, you would say, ‘Home, I’m home at last,” said Gloria Nelson, head of Baltimore County’s Turner Station Conservation Team.
One year ago, on March 26, 2024, the Dali cargo ship collided with the historic Key Bridge, the heart of this community, killing six construction workers who were performing maintenance.
The aftermath left a crater in Southeast Baltimore County that had not been seen in 50 years.
“When I think of the Key Bridge 50 years ago, I think of hearing that tug boat come around, and up and stop, horn blows, then shortly after, ‘thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.’”
“It was there forever, at least we thought it would be there forever, and now it’s not,” according to Nelson.
Congressman Johnny Olszewski, a former Baltimore County Executive, recalls vividly when the cargo ship struck the Key Bridge.
The crash occurred around 1:30 a.m., after the Dali lost power for the fourth time in 12 hours, according to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation.
“I remember the call like it was yesterday, my fire chief called very early in the morning, and at first, I thought I was dreaming,” according to Olszewski. “It was really just a flood of emotions at once in that early morning.”
Nelson referred to the bridge fall as “devastating.”
“I had a sense of fear, and when I heard there were individuals in the water, fear increased, not knowing, and I began to pray,” according to Nelson.
Michael Thompson, Vice President of the Turner Station Conservation Team, said he vividly remembers the collapse.
“I heard and felt this rumble, and it shook everything,” Thompson explained. When daylight arrived, in the midst of an international but local tragedy, the Baltimore County community joined together to help one another.
Within months, politicians drew up designs for a new Key Bridge, which is planned to be completed in 2028 and will unite the communities.
“People want to make their voices heard. “I believe the reconstruction of the bridge and the opening of this highway are not different,” Olszewski remarked.
“I’m looking at a rebuild to be a rebuild, not just to rebuild the bridge, but rebuild our community, rebuild the neighbourhood, rebuild the southeastern area, and I’m looking for an awesome thing to happen, and I do believe it will happen.”