The Francis Scott Key Bridge (informally, Key Bridge or Beltway Bridge) was a highway bridge that crossed the lower Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor/Port. It was opened on March 23, 1977, to carry the Baltimore Beltway (Interstate 695 or I-695) between Dundalk and Hawkins Point.
Initially named the Outer Harbor Crossing, the bridge was renamed in 1976 for poet Francis Scott Key, who wrote the lyrics to "The Star-Spangled Banner", the U.S. national anthem. At 8,636 feet (2,632 m), it was the second-longest bridge in the Baltimore metropolitan area, after the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Its main span of 1,200 feet (366 m) was the third-longest of any continuous truss in the world.
Operated by the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the bridge was the outermost of three crossings of Baltimore's harbor, along with the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels, all of which require tolls for passage. It carried an estimated 11.5 million vehicles annually, including trucks carrying hazardous materials prohibited in the tunnels.
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