I never thought, throughout this whole experience, that I would regret not taking more pictures of the Key Bridge. But then again, I never thought our dear Key Bridge would collapse one night, practically within seconds.
One day after this tragedy, I realized that the Key Bridge played a role in my running project. Baltimore begins at the harbor and then works its way up, deceptively so.
There nothing like running up a hill and making your way to an overlook and looking out over a city. And Baltimore looked good with all that water as its distant bridge arced like a steel rainbow.
It wasn’t until today that I realized how many times I excitedly muttered to myself during these runs, “That’s cool. You can see the Key Bridge!” No matter where you were in the city, whatever the surroundings, if you saw the Key Bridge, it was really cool.
Some of my favorite places to see the (former) bridge was in Cherry Hill, Edmundson Village, and at the Holy Redeemer Cemetery on Belair Road. I have my memories but I so wish I took photos. But who knew it would vanish one night.
I never ran the Key Bridge, I couldn’t. Pedestrians were not allowed. That’s a good thing. It was fast, high, and narrow. And best of all, it wasn’t entirely in the city. Besides, its northern terminus was in Baltimore County.
The southern end is city land and the Key Bridge took you into I-695 which sliced through some of the city’s most contaminated areas. I’m not trying to be mean, it was a documented fact.
On January 25, I made it up the disheveled Fort Armistead Road to the abandoned yet active former fort. It’s not a place where you want to linger but it took you to the base of the bridge. And what should’ve been a memorable photo, ended up being a photo of fog.
I went out to Fort McHenry the morning the bridge fell. It is (was) the best place in the city to see the bridge, and the harbor. It was heartbreaking, and it was quiet. Many people said nothing. They quietly looked at mangled nothing.
I can’t speak for the personal pain of the construction workers’ families who suffered such personal loss. I can’t speak for the tragic economic loss for the port workers, the businesses, and the city. I can’t even guarantee that I will ever see a new Key Bridge, once built. That’s many years away.
But I am lucky that I did this city-wide run while the Key Bridge was there. I took it for granted but it really was cool every time it rose over the harbor
I can’t believe it fell.
.
Michael Runs Baltimore 