'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse

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“I’ll be 40 years old this year, and I’ve been traveling across that bridge my whole life,” Ellsworth said. “I live seven minutes from it.”

Ellsworth and a crowd of bystanders gathered near the scene at a Royal Farms in Hawkins Point, where reporters awaited more information from authorities.

“It’s disheartening for sure,” Ellsworth said.

Brooklyn Park resident Christopher Romey went fishing near the bridge, which crosses the Patapsco River, the night before its collapse.

“I’ve been around here all my life, coming down here and fishing,” Romey said. “It’s just so strange.”

Romey remembers when they first started building the bridge in 1972. His father took him to see the construction progress each month.

“My father brought us down here when they built [the first island for] the supports for the bridge,” Romey said. “Every month, he would bring us down here and show the advancement of building the bridge.”

The $60.3 million bridge was opened in March 1977. The 1.6-mile crossing carried Interstate 695 between Sparrows Point in Baltimore County and Hawkins Point in Baltimore City.

Reports said a ship named “Dali” ran into the bridge around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday. Ship tracking websites said a 984-foot-long ship with the same name was leaving Baltimore and heading to Sri Lanka at the time of the crash. Drivers and construction workers fell into the water below during the collapse.

“I can’t believe that a ship hit it and it totally collapsed,” Romey said. “I’m praying for the families [and] the workers. I hope they recover all the bodies.”

Officials have not yet confirmed any deaths, and they are still actively looking for survivors.

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Authorities said six people went missing after the collapse.

Two were rescued. One is in critical condition and the other refused treatment, officials said.

Interstate 695 remains closed near the bridge. The Interstate 95 and 895 tunnels remain open as alternative routes.

Truckers carrying hazardous materials must drive through Baltimore City or around the Baltimore Beltway. Hazardous materials are not allowed in the tunnels.

The Port of Baltimore remains closed until further notice. Truckers can pick up goods already there, but ships have no way in or out of the port. The crashed ship and the dangling bridge remnants are blocking the channel.

This poses potential supply chain issues for the Baltimore area.

“There’s no way the ships can come in there until they get that all cleared out. It’s going to affect all the stores and everything because all the stuff comes in through the Inner Harbor,” Romey said. “Now it’s going to be really taxing and hard on the Harbor Tunnel and the Key Tunnel.”

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