Understanding the Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Causes, Impacts, and Lessons Learned

   (Picture of Baltimore Bridge collapsing in the water)

(Picture of collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in water)

In Baltimore, on March 26th, the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the harbor, causing a big problem. Let’s figure out why it happened and what we can do to stop it from happening again. 

The event called the Baltimore Bridge Collapse happened when a bridge broke and fell apart. It was an important road for transportation, but as it got older and wasn’t properly maintained, the bridge collapsed when a cargo ship lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns.  

• Causes: 

1. The weakened bridge collapsed when a cargo ship lost power and struck a supporting column.
2. The way the bridge was designed might have made the bridge weaker over time therefore making it unable to withstand the strike.
3. The bridge was old and falling apart because it wasn’t being taken care of / maintained.

• Impacts:

1. Six people were presumed dead, some people got hurt, and families were devastated. 
2. Traffic got really bad.
3. People are now worried about other bridges’ safety.

• Lessons Learned:

1. We need to spend more money fixing, maintaining, and taking care of our older bridges.
2. We should check bridges more often and use better technology to make sure they’re safe.
3. Everyone, like the government & engineers, need to work together to keep bridges safe. 

The Baltimore Bridge Collapse shows us we need to have strong bridge designs and take better care of our bridges with regular maintenance.  We also need to work together to make sure they’re safe for everyone.

Sources:

By Weiyi Cai, Agnes Chang, Lauren Leatherby, Lazaro Gamio, Leanne Abraham and Scott Reinhard https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/03/26/us/baltimore-key-bridge-collapse-maps.html

By NBC News: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/francis-scott-key-bridge-collapse-live-updates-rcna145049 

By WCCO Staff https://www.cbsnews.com/minnesota/news/baltimore-bridge-collapse-calls-to-mind-35w-other-disasters/