Bay Bridge Safety Under Scrutiny After Baltimore Incident Prompts Action, What Is Now!

DEBARYLIFE – Approaching quickly is the summer travel season, which means that many of us will be crossing the Bay Bridge to visit the Eastern shore and the beaches in Delaware and Maryland. But how confident are you in the Bay Bridge’s safety in light of the Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore?

It’s enough to make some drivers tighten their grasp on the wheel just to see the Bay Bridge over the Chesapeake. The four-mile bridge is difficult for many drivers to cross. That being said, most of us would not have cringed at the sight of a huge ship passing directly under a bridge prior to the Key Bridge collapse.

However, a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore early on March 26 and it collapsed into the ocean below, killing six workers. Everything changed so quickly that safety is now the main priority.

Better safety measures for the Bay Bridge will be examined, according to confirmation from News4 regarding Maryland’s transportation leaders.

Assistant Secretary of Transportation for Maryland Joe McAndrew stated, “We’re working on looking at that, in terms of the safety and the protection of the piers.”

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) promised to act quickly to make any necessary urgent safety recommendations in the wake of the Key Bridge collapse. McAndrew says state authorities will be paying careful attention if and when the NTSB makes such recommendations.

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“People can continue to cross it safely at the end of the day. We’re going to collaborate with federal partners who are looking into what transpired at the Key Bridge,” McAndrew stated. “But it is safe and we would encourage people to go and enjoy the Eastern Shore as much as possible.”

The concept of “dolphins,” or barriers that could divert a ship away from striking a bridge’s support piers, has received a lot of attention. Particularly with more recent bridges, similar measures are becoming far more frequent in other regions of the nation. By comparison, the Bay Bridge is currently over 70 years old. There are fenders on it to safeguard piers, but no dolphins.

Luis Otero and Savanna Wheelis remember the collapse of the Key Bridge at Sandy Point State Park, which is adjacent to the Bay Bridge.

“I’m terrified of bridges, so honestly, it makes me not want to go under or on bridges anymore,” Wheelis claimed.

Otero interjected, saying, “It’s like, would it happen to this one, especially now that we’ve seen the [Key] bridge fall.”

The state should maintain this bridge in good condition, according to Zeno, a fisherman.

“Yes, absolutely, I would think there should be more upkeep. Continuing with it,” he uttered.