April 22nd, 2025 by WCBC Radio

State transportation officials said they are working on strategies to protect the two bridges over the Chesapeake Bay following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.  The response from Maryland’s transportation secretary comes a month after the National Transportation Safety Board called for nearly six dozen bridges nationwide to undergo collapse-risk evaluations.  Some of the short-term strategies could include new communications requirements for ship pilots, reduced speeds, one-way transits and managing vehicle traffic on the bridge.  Longer-term strategies could include physical measures to prevent a strike. The east-bound span opened in 1952, making it more than 70 years old. The west-bound span, opened in June 1972, would be more than 50 years old.