Named after poet Francis Scott Key, author of the lyrics to the American anthem, construction of the current bridge began in 1972 and was dedicated on March 23, 1977. The structure crosses the lower Patapsco River between Hawkins Point and Sollers Point and the I-695 highway (Baltimore Beltway) runs through it.
The bridge that collapsed today is, according to the Historic Sites organization, heir to the one built between 1833 and 1843 with stone pillars, demolished in 1915, and the one that replaced it, a concrete arch inaugurated in 1923 already with the name Francis Scott Key because the artist lived in a nearby area at the beginning of the 19th century. Originally the bridge was known as Outer Harbor Crossing.
This bridge was immortalized by The Wee, a successful American television series set in Baltimore about judicial wiretapping of a police group and in which many of its characters are based on real people from the city.
The Wire It aired between 2002 and 2008, with a total of 60 episodes divided into five seasons. The series has been considered one of the best.
Other bridge details
The bridge pilings and other components form an underwater reef that attracts fish, such as striped bass or perch, which is why the place is appreciated by sport fishing enthusiasts. The area also attracts pleasure boats, and local tour boats and cruise ships offer travel routes near the bridge.
Boat launch ramps, a fishing pier, and views of the bridge are located near the western end of the bridge in Fort Armistead Park.
Each summer, the US Coast Guard deploys the poet Francis Scott Key memorial buoy in the Patapsco River near the bridge. The star-covered buoy marks the approximate location where Francis Scott Key wrote the national anthem, ‘The Star-Spangled Banner,’ while attempting to facilitate the release of a prisoner held on a British ship during the bombardment of Fort McHenry in 1814.
Baltimore, an important seaport even before the American Revolution located on the Chesapeake Bay, is the most populated city in the state of Maryland, with just over 600,000 inhabitants in the urban core and 2,700,000 in its area. metropolitan.
#million #vehicles #year #immortalized #Wire