Free Republic

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) unveiled the design for the new Francis Scott Key Bridge almost a year after it was hit by a cargo ship, causing it to collapse. "Today, we take an important step toward recovering from the tragic Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse that has affected not just Maryland's economy, but the nation's economy," said Gov. Moore. "While we mark the unveiling of the new bridge design, we continue to honor the six Marylanders who lost their lives while serving our state and their families who carry their legacy forward. Together, we...

This is Abe Greenwald, in the Commentary magazine email. I don’t think there is a link, so I will quote extensively: Here’s a current-events quiz aimed at regular news consumers: Why did Los Angeles officials ignore dozens of warnings about the county’s failing water system in the run-up to this year’s wildfires? What caused the Dali cargo ship to crash into the Francis Scott Key Bridge almost a year ago? Who was the captain of that ship? Why were security bollards not in place on Bourbon Street when a terrorist attacked New Orleans on New Year’s Day? What was the...

The Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel Expansion is one of Virginia's largest infrastructure projects, aiming to alleviate decades-long traffic congestion in Norfolk, a key city at the crossroads of the Chesapeake Bay. This $4 billion project will widen nearly 10 miles of I-64, add two new tunnel lanes beneath the harbor, and transform roadways and bridges across the region. The ambitious plan also involves "Mary," one of the largest tunnel boring machines in the world, which has been tunneling beneath the water for over a year. Despite some criticism about its focus on road expansion, the project is backed by a significant...

The omnibus spending bill had $8 billion dollars for the Francis Scott Key Bridge replacement. . That is way too much money to rebuild the Key Bridge. Easily four times as much as it should cost. ... This reminds the Oahu rail project. Around $12B, tons of fraud... total failure of a project. Does not meet intent. Also heavy foreign outsourcing for building talent. How much did it cost to build the bridge initially, adjusted for inflation? - The Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed in March 2024, initially cost about $61 million to build in 1977. Adjusted for inflation...

Washington DC is now officially known as Pork City! Why? Take a look at the House’s Continuing Resolution to to keep the Federal government funded. Includes $110 billion in disaster assistance for relief efforts in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Oklahoma, and Western region, among others. The 1,547 page federal spending bill has so many outrageous things in it, it’s hard to know where to begin – but it without a doubt should NOT pass as-is. But a great example of why we need @doge more than ever to reel in the governments insane spending & redundancies. Highlights: 1. $8 BILLION—For...

The Daniel Carter Beard Bridge and both sides of Interstate 471 over the Ohio River between downtown Cincinnati and Newport remain shut down Friday after a massive fire damaged the bridge. State inspectors are examining the bridge right now and hope to open the northbound side of the bridge as soon as it’s safe, said Matt Bruning, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transporation. There is no timeline yet when the bridge might fully reopen but the southbound side along I-471 could be closed for “weeks,” he said. Cincinnati Fire Chief Frank McKinley said the cause of the fire and...

That’s a lot of bridges over troubled waters. The Empire State ranks 11th in the nation for dilapidated bridges, as nearly every single span in the state — 99.46% — is in need of some kind of repair, a report said. And nearly 10 percent of New York State’s 17,642 bridges were so bad they classified as “structurally deficient,” according to a 2024 report from the American Road and Transportation Builders Association. The 10 worst are all in New York City. The bridge hall of shame included parts of I-95 and the Bruckner Expressway in the Bronx — and most...

A derailment of a mile-long freight train that injured two crew members overnight is under investigation. It happened in the eastern part of Boulder near Foothills Hospital, close to the intersection of Arapahoe Avenue and 48th Street. The train workers were taken to the hospital and were released on Friday morning. The crash destroyed a rail bridge and some trees were knocked down, but there was no other damage aside from the damage to the train cars. The derailment stretches across a wide area and is expected to take a while to clean up.

Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) gave credit to Vice President Kamala Harris for getting help to Baltimore after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed during his speech at the Democratic National Convention. Moore, who entered gubernatorial office last year, gave Harris the shout-out after reflecting on the tragic cargo ship crash that led to the destruction of the bridge and the deaths of six maintenance workers. “A port that drives 13 percent of our state’s economy was now closed. Thousands of workers were hours away from waking up and realizing they no longer had a job,” Moore told the Wednesday...

Hastily edited machine transcription of the video. I may touch this up over time, it needs links to the various pages the narrator mentions. Alright, today's video is once again about a topic that is pretty much always divisive yet perpetually discussed. And to be completely honest here, I'm getting really sick of watching people mischaracterize, misrepresent, and misunderstand this topic, simply for personal or financial gain. I'm not going to make it overly specific on who those people are. That's not the purpose of the video, despite the fact I consider them grifters of the highest order. However, if...

Traffic on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge is temporarily suspended late Monday morning as the Dali — a cargo ship that collided with Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, leading to its collapse — makes its journey to port in Norfolk, Virginia. The Maryland Transport Authority (MDTA) said that traffic is temporarily paused on the Bay Bridge, as of 11 a.m. In an earlier statement, the Maryland Transport Authority (MDTA) said that “out of an abundance of caution,” it would be holding traffic on the Bay Bridge on Monday between 11 a.m. and noon as the marine vessel Dali passes beneath. The...

What Is Happening? Another Barge Hit Another Bridge Causing a Partial Collapse in Galveston VIDEO AT LINK.................

Hundreds of anti-Israel protestors took over the Manhattan Bridge Saturday night, initially blowing off cops who tried to set up set up barricades to block their paths. Demonstrators blocked vehicles on the bridge’s upper level, stalling traffic, according to images posted on X. The demonstrators initially gathered near Brooklyn’s Barclays Center before heading northwest onto the bridge and into Manhattan, according to reports.

‘Ambitious’ Limited Access Channel Opens Less than a month after the Dali rammed a pillar of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse, a portion of the federal channel has been opened to deep draft ships. The opening of the 35-foot-deep Limited Access Channel allowed the departure of some of the ships trapped in Baltimore Harbor. The first ship through was the general cargo ship Balsa 94, bound for Canada, followed by the cargo ship Saimaagracht and car carrier Carmen. More transits are expected. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the LAC is open to scheduled passages...

A third temporary channel opened Saturday at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Commercial vessels were able to use the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 135 feet. Earlier in the month, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said they expect to open a limited access channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April. The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm...

The Port of Baltimore is “closed until further notice” following the Francis Scott Key Bridge tragedy, sending several industries into disarray and jeopardizing national security. In 2023, the port handled a record amount of international cargo, ranked ninth for both dollar value and tonnage in the United States. Vital for both imports and exports of a variety of commodities, the Port of Baltimore has always had international significance and the impact of its closure will be wide-ranging and long-term for the supply chain in the United States and beyond. Given the seriousness of this issue, Congress must come together to...

Authorities are investigating the events that led up to the ships crash into the bridge, causing the collapse. ... The FBI has opened up a criminal investigation into the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland after a boat crashed into it last month. ... The boat reportedly lost power briefly before veering one of the bridge's support, sending the bridge cascading into the water below. Six lives were lost. On Monday, federal agents boarded the crashed boat to conduct a search. Agents wore yellow and orange life jackets as they boarded the Dali, standing where it...

Authorities in Pittsburgh closed McKees Rocks Bridge as a precaution after several barges broke loose on the Ohio River late Friday. There is a risk that the barges could come into contact with the “substructure” of the bridge, the McKees Rocks Police Department said in a statement early Saturday confirming the closure. The department said it closed the bridge because it was “not willing to take the risk.” The bridge opened in 1931 and stretches more than 1 mile across the Ohio River. As part of the Blue Belt, the innermost of several roads that loop around Pittsburgh, the bridge...

Civil rights groups are calling for the collapsed Baltimore bridge to be renamed when it's rebuilt, citing accusations of racism against national anthem author Francis Scott Key. Leaders argued that the The Star-Spangled Banner author -who the collapsed bridge was named after - was a slave owner who wrote lyrics that scholars have said 'demeaned black people.' They have asked for the bridge to be renamed after late congressman Parren J Mitchel, the first black man from Maryland elected to the US House of Representatives.

Zach presents a good summary of some unanswered questions and anomalies surrounding the Baltimore bridge collapse. The video runs just over 27 minutes long.