A new Baltimore bridge will span more than water

Last week, Baltimore reopened its port to vessel traffic. The city can now turn its full attention to replacing a critical bridge that collapsed in March after being struck by a cargo freighter. June 24 marks the deadline for proposals to build a new span.

Restoring a vital piece of infrastructure offers an opportunity to rethink how citizens can be involved in redesigning their communities, especially at a time of mass urbanization and climate change. One proposal would replace the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge with a lighter span suspended by cables. Its towers would be set farther apart, creating a wider lane for ships. The design, which reflects innovation and cooperation, was a collaborative effort between an Italian architect and a French structural engineer. The materials would have a low carbon footprint, and new communication technologies would better connect outlying communities with the city center.

The plan was pitched by the same company that rebuilt a bridge that collapsed in Genoa, Italy, in 2018. That restoration was completed in just 15 months, well short of the average time span for large infrastructure projects in Italy. Several factors combined to create “an ethical momentum of great stature,” Maurizio Milan, the designing engineer, told Euro News. Enhanced government transparency helped protect the project from corruption. Residents and construction workers were consulted in the designing the structure. Such steps reflect lessons learned after disasters elsewhere, such as in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and in Japan following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Residents and local officials in Baltimore have already stressed that, in replacing the Key Bridge, civic values matter as much as structural design. That has included compassion for the families of workers who died in the bridge collapse and economic support for those whose jobs ground to a halt while the port was closed.

The tragedy also sparked a vibrant debate about healing the city’s racial issues. Francis Scott Key penned the words of the national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner.” As a lawyer, he represented enslaved people seeking their freedom in court. But he was also a slave owner himself.

Now some residents see a new bridge as an opportunity to express a more inclusive identity. Speaking at a community forum, Carl Snowden, head of the Caucus of African American Leaders, observed, “What an incredible moment in history we find ourselves in.” A new bridge in Baltimore may span more than water. It may also arc the city’s skyline with tighter bonds of community.