Residents reflect one year after loss of Francis Scott Key Bridge

    ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY, Maryland (WJZ) -- One year after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Anne Arundel County residents continue to feel the impact.

The tragedy disrupted commutes, strained businesses, and left emotional scars on the community.

"It's a bad moment... so many people died. It's sad," said Heidy Tobal Garcia of Anne Arundel County.

"It's a really big deal," said Paul Shollenberger of Glen Burnie. "It hits home because it's right around the corner."

Jim, a Pasadena resident, said the collapse was "devastating." He said he worked on the bridge when it was being built in the 1970s.

County Executive Steuart Pittman said the community came together in the face of disaster.

"When something disastrous happens in a community, the community comes together, and that happened here," Pittman said.

For Garcia, the collapse is personal. She knew one of the six construction workers who died, Miguel Luna, who ran a food truck in Glen Burnie with his wife.

"He was so nice when I would go sometimes to buy food," she said. "It's really sad."

Pittman recalled the shock of that day and the massive destruction of the bridge.

"Just allowing it to sink in," he said. "The mass destruction of a huge piece of infrastructure that was so iconic."

In the days and months that followed, response teams worked tirelessly.

"I was impressed by both the compassion and the action," Pittman said. "Mourning the loss of life, acting to recover bodies, acting to move as quickly as possible to remove debris."

The collapse continues to affect daily life in Anne Arundel County.

"It's really impacted everything, especially with the traffic," Shollenberger said.

"It adds about an hour more time," Jim said.

For businesses, that time means lost revenue.

"Several businesses in the area are finding that their expenses have gone up considerably," said Kenneth Clark, a business consultant. "People are spending hours in traffic, their schedules are now delayed."

Clark works with the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council to connect struggling businesses with resources.

County Executive Pittman said the county is focused on helping impacted workers build a stronger future.

"Our workforce development team has been helping people who lost work as a result of that, and now helping to prepare people for the rebuilding of the bridge," he said.

As the county moves forward, Pittman said the resilience and compassion of the community will always stand out.

"For all of us to see that we're capable of coming together as human beings and embracing one another in times like that," he said.

Crews began pre-construction for the Francis Scott Key Bridge in January.

In August 2024, the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) Board approved a $73 million contract with Kiewit Infrastructure Company to design and build the replacement bridge. The rebuild will follow a "progressive design-build" approach with two phases - project development, which will last about a year, followed by the final design and construction.

In February, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and MDTA officials unveiled the design for the replacement bridge. The new cable stay design will allow the federal shipping channel to expand from 70 ft. to 1000 ft. wide. The base of the bridge will be raised to 230 ft. which is a 45-foot increase to accommodate ship traffic.

This spring, crews will remove the remaining pillars of the Key Bridge, before beginning construction.