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Major U.S. Bridge Collapses After Ship Strike

A look back at the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, the six workers who died, and why the replacement now costs billions more and will take years longer.

ND
By National DeskOct 2, 20269 min readU.S.
Major U.S. Bridge Collapses After Ship Strike
Major U.S. Bridge Collapses After Ship Strike

In the early hours of March 26, 2024, the container ship Dali lost power and struck a support pier of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge. Within seconds, most of the 1.6-mile span collapsed into the Patapsco River.

What happened

The Singapore-flagged ship had just left the Port of Baltimore when it suffered electrical failures. The crew issued a mayday, giving authorities time to stop traffic onto the bridge — a move credited with saving lives. Six construction workers filling potholes on the bridge were killed.

Key facts

  • Date: March 26, 2024, around 1:30 a.m.
  • Victims: six members of a road-repair crew
  • Ship: the cargo vessel Dali
  • Impact: the main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore was blocked for weeks

Reopening the port

Salvage crews spent weeks cutting apart thousands of tons of steel. The federal shipping channel fully reopened in June 2024, allowing the port — one of the country's busiest for car and truck shipments — to resume normal operations.

The rebuild

Maryland is building a replacement bridge, but costs have soared. In November 2025, the Maryland Transportation Authority estimated the project at $4.3 billion to $5.2 billion, up from an early estimate under $2 billion, with completion pushed from 2028 to 2030. Officials cited sharply higher material costs and a new pier-protection system designed to guard against future ship strikes.

Lasting questions

Federal investigators examined the ship's electrical systems and the bridge's vulnerability to vessel strikes, prompting wider reviews of how older bridges over busy shipping lanes are protected.

Timeline

  1. Mar. 1977The Francis Scott Key Bridge opens, carrying I-695 over the Patapsco River.
  2. Mar. 26, 2024The cargo ship Dali loses power and strikes a main pier; the bridge collapses and six workers are killed.
  3. Jun. 2024The federal shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore fully reopens.
  4. Oct. 2024The ship's owner and manager agree to pay the federal government about $102 million for cleanup costs.
  5. Nov. 2025Maryland estimates the rebuild at $4.3–$5.2 billion, with completion moved to 2030.

Remembering the victims

The six men killed were members of a construction crew working overnight to repair potholes on the bridge. They were immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador who had built lives in the Baltimore area. Their deaths drew renewed attention to the risks faced by road and construction workers.

Quick answers

Why did the ship lose power?

Federal investigators focused on electrical failures aboard the Dali. The National Transportation Safety Board led the safety investigation.

Who is paying for the new bridge?

Maryland is leading the project, with federal funding expected to cover much of the cost and efforts to recover money from the ship's owners and insurers.

Sources