Maryland: Chesapeake Bay Bridge dubbed the ‘scariest’ in America – but could disaster strike again?
The images of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsing were extraordinary and chilling.
A tragedy has now become an economic and logistical nightmare for the region.
But was it a freak one-off? Well, worryingly, maybe not.
Chesapeake Bay Bridge is made of two separate bridges built around 20 years apart
Just 20 miles downstream from the Key Bridge, and on the same shipping lane, is another that’s bigger, longer, older and busier. And it’s earned the tag – the scariest in America.
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is actually two. One bridge, for two lanes of traffic, was built in 1952. A second, with three lanes, was added in 1973.
Local fisherman Brian Hardman took Sky News out into the bay to see the bridges up close
A hodge-podge of different bridges
Sky News took to Chesapeake Bay with local fisherman Brian Hardman.
We passed the backed up cargo ships, blocked from entering Baltimore Port because of the downed Key Bridge up stream.
We paused way below the vast Chesapeake Bay Bridge complex for a closer look at this ageing feat of engineering.
Up close to the one of the four pylons which supports the suspended part of the four mile-long bridges, you do not need to be an expert to see the lack of protection.
A sitting duck
A tiny wooden buffer, broken in places, clads ageing concrete from which corroding metal work supports the road high above.
If a ship was to hit one of these pylons, the impact point would be high up, given the height of modern cargo vessels.
The bridge is protected by wooden guards in places
The dual bridges are used by 27 million vehicles a year. Eleven million tonnes of cargo pass under them. And yet it is classed by federal authorities as fracture critical.
“The bridge, when I look at it, it’s like a sitting duck just at the mercy of the ships.” structural engineer Professor Abe Aghayere told me.
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His view is shared by peers and he outlines what “fracture critical” means.
“If one piece goes, a whole section of the bridge, or the whole bridge entirely, could go just like the Key Bridge did,” the professor said.
“The piers or the pylons of that of the Bay Bridge are unprotected just like the Key Bridge was. So that worries me. For a bridge that long with that much traffic, it needs to be protected.”
Eleven million tonnes of cargo pass under the bridge every year
A structural engineer warned the bridge was a ‘sitting duck’
It’s everybody’s concern
At his office nearby, we meet commissioner Jim Moran. He is a local politician who campaigns for funding to fix the bridge and build a third one to ease congestion. He is always wondering “what if?”.
“The Bay Bridge, as some people know – it’s been ranked as one of the scariest bridges.”
I suggest to him that it doesn’t look to be in great shape.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed upstream of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge
“Right,” he says.
“And the state is spending a great deal of money to stay ahead of it. I mean, that ship that hit the Key Bridge was probably 100,000 tons. And I don’t know anything that could withstand being hit. So that force, that energy, you know, it’s something everybody’s looking into. It’s everybody’s concern.”
As President Biden surveyed the damage at the Key Bridge, his words were a reminder that it’s an election year.
“Your nation has your back,” the president said.
“The federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge, and I expect the Congress to support my effort.”
The disaster in Baltimore is a huge setback for the city and the region but could it represent an opportunity for President Biden and the Democratic Party?
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Bridge collapse: What happened?
Commissioner Moran is a Republican. I asked if he thought whether the president had handled the crisis well.
“Yes, I do. He came out right out of the gate saying ‘the federal government is going to be here and we’re going to stay here’. And they’re helping mostly with money. We appreciate him coming out and stepping up to the plate and helping us with this.”
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Sky News has asked the Maryland Transportation Authority to comment on the state of the structure. We are awaiting their response.
The disaster just up stream from here last month puts a critical frightening focus on infrastructure across this country.
Former US president Joe Biden has prostate cancer, his office has said.
The statement said Mr Biden, who left the White House in January, is reviewing options for treatment with his physicians.
It read: “Last week, President Joe Biden was seen for a new finding of a prostate nodule after experiencing increasing urinary symptoms.
“On Friday, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, characterised by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) with metastasis to the bone.
“While this represents a more aggressive form of the disease, the cancer appears to be hormone-sensitive which allows for effective management.
“The President and his family are reviewing treatment options with his physicians.”
File pic: Reuters
According to Cancer Research UK, a Gleason score of 9 means the cancerous cells “look very abnormal” and the disease is “likely to grow quickly”.
A source familiar with Mr Biden and his family’s thinking has told Sky’s US partner network, NBC News, that the former president is considering “multiple treatment options” – including hormone treatment for the cancer.
They added he is at his home in Wilmington, Delaware, and that as of now, it is unclear where the former president will be treated.
Mr Biden, 82, was the oldest person to ever serve as president, with concerns about his health raised regularly during his campaign for re-election last year.
After a poor debate against Donald Trump in June, he withdrew from the 2024 election and endorsed his vice president Kamala Harris.
In February 2023, he had a skin lesion removed from his chest that was a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer.
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A Mexican navy ship has hit the Brooklyn Bridge during a promotional tour in New York City.
The New York Fire Department said authorities were responding to injuries but had no details about how many people might have been hurt or whether they were on the vessel or on the bridge.
Sky’s US partner network NBC News reports that at least three people were seriously injured in the incident.
The Mexican navy said in a post on X that the Cuauhtemoc, an academy training vessel, was damaged in the accident, which has prevented it from continuing its voyage.
Eyewitness video of the collision posted online showed the mast of the ship, which was flying a large Mexican flag, scraping the underneath of the bridge.
Pic: AP
The vessel then drifted toward the edge of the river as onlookers scrambled away from shore.
The Mexican navy said the status of personnel and material was under review by naval and local authorities, which were providing assistance.
The Cuauhtemoc is about 297ft long and 40ft wide, according to the Mexican navy. It sailed for the first time in 1982.
Pic: AP
Each year, it sets out at the end of classes at the naval military school to finish cadets’ training.
It left the Mexican port of Acapulco, on the Pacific coast, on 6 April with 277 people onboard, the navy said at the time.
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One person has died in a bomb explosion near a reproductive health clinic in California, authorities have said.
The incident took place in Palm Springs, a city two hours east of Los Angeles, and is being investigated as a possible car explosion.
The city’s mayor Ron DeHarte said one person died in the blast, adding that the bomb was “either in or near” a vehicle. The deceased’s identity is not known, Palm Springs police said.
Dr Maher Abdallah, who runs the American Reproductive Centers clinic, told the Associated Press his facility was damaged but all staff were safe and accounted for.
The explosion damaged the office space where the practice conducts patient consultations, but the IVF lab and stored embryos were unharmed, he added.
“I really have no clue what happened,” he said. “Thank God today happened to be a day that we have no patients.”
Debris covers the ground after the explosion. Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
In a statement posted on Facebook the clinic said it was “heartbroken” to learn someone died in the explosion and added: “Our deepest condolences go out to the individuals and families affected.”
It continued: “Our mission has always been to help build families, and in times like these, we are reminded of just how fragile and precious life is.
“In the face of this tragedy, we remain committed to creating hope – because we believe that healing begins with community, compassion, and care.
The clinic will be fully operational on Monday, it added.
“This moment has shaken us – but it has not stopped us. We will continue to serve with strength, love, and the hope that brings new life into the world,” the statement concluded.
Pic: ABC7 Los Angeles/AP
The Palm Springs city government said in a post on Facebook that the explosion happened on North Indian Canyon Drive, near East Tachevah Drive, before 11am local time (6pm GMT).
A burned-out car can be seen in a parking lot behind the building in aerial footage.
The blast caved in the clinic’s roof and blew debris across four lanes of the road.
Another person said he was inside a cannabis dispensary nearby when he felt a massive explosion.
Nima Tabrizi said: “The building just shook, and we go outside and there’s massive cloud smoke.”
Investigators from the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are travelling to the scene to help assess what happened.
California governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the explosion, his press office said.
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