Maryland
Maryland bridges among nation’s busiest for ship traffic, according to study inspired by Key Bridge collapse shows
BALTIMORE — Maryland’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and Bay Bridge are among the nation’s top 10 bridges with the most ships passing through, according to a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University researchers.
The research, which aimed to find which bridges are at risk of a catastrophic collapse, was sparked by the March 26 collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge.
Michael Shields, Associate Professor of Civil and Systems Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, the lead investigator for the study, said these initial findings are the first phase of the study.
Researchers have been looking at over six years worth of U.S. Coast Guard data, examining ship traffic under major bridges across the country.
“To our knowledge, no one has ever actually poured over that data to ask what is the traffic under all of these bridges,” Shields said. “That is the first piece of going into any risk assessment.”
The findings found the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge in New York City, the Talmadge Memorial Bridge in Georgia and the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in California have the most traffic from the largest ships.
Shields said that while ship traffic helps show which bridges need the most attention for risk assessment, there are many other factors.
“We need to look more carefully at local conditions, local water conditions, local shipping practices, protections for these bridges: those are the sort of things that really need to be more carefully studied,” he said.
The next phase of the study will be looking at the frequency of ships straying off course while passing under the country’s bridges.
More findings are expected to be released in 2025.
Rebuilding the bridge
These findings come as the Maryland Department of the Environment is seeking permit approvals to begin the next phase of the Key Bridge rebuild.
Kiewit Infrastructure Company was approved as the contractor to design and build the replacement bridge. Kiewit estimates the rebuild will cost about $1.2 billion.
The project is set to begin in 2025.
Mounting lawsuits
Numerous lawsuits have been lodged against the owner and operator of the cargo ship Dali.
The U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit seeking $100 million in damages. Brawner Builders, the company that employed the construction workers who were on the bridge during the collapse, also filed a lawsuit calling for an unspecified amount of damages.
Most notably, the families of the victims filed complaints Friday, all asking for unspecified punitive damages.
At a news conference last week, a lawyer representing some of the victims’ families said the families were initially interested in looking at whether or not the Dali’s owner could limit its liability in the collapse.
Not long after the collapse, Grace Ocean Private Ltd filed to cap its liability to nearly $44 million.
Baltimore City, Baltimore County and numerous other businesses have also filed lawsuits against the Dali’s owner and operator.
Calling all outdoorsmen and women — Maryland’s Lower Shore is home to some of the best hiking, walking and running trails on the East Coast.
Here’s a closer look at four picturesque parks and preserves with nature trails in the Berlin, Salisbury and Ocean City area.
Assateague Island
Assateague Island offers a wide variety of paved and unpaved trails open for hiking and 37 miles of flat beach terrain for wandering and beachcombing. Assateague Island’s Maryland District features a Life of the Dunes trail, Life of the Forest trail, Life of the Marsh trail.
Furnace Town
Furnace Town is nestled between the Pocomoke State Forest and Nature Conservancy’s Nassawango Creek Preserve. The popular historical site offers three Nature Conservancy Trails, three Maryland Forest service Trails, and a 26-acre outdoor museum and recreation area.
Pemberton Historical Park
Pemberton Historical Park, a 262-acre area featuring a trail system, outdoor amphitheater and more, was created in the 1980s. The park offers 4.5 miles of nature trails for walking and hiking only, allowing visitors to explore wetlands, forests and more of the natural world.
Nassawango Creek Preserve
Nassawango Creek Preserve’s primeval forest has an abundance of bald cypress and black gum trees. Visitors are invited to indulge in its four trails, the Nassawango Joe, Prothonotary Warbler, Ron Wilson Memorial Trail and Leifer Trail, as well as self-guided audio tours.
Olivia Minzola covers communities on the Lower Shore. Contact her with tips and story ideas at ominzola@delmarvanow.com.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region.
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
(Courtesy Washington Nationals)
Courtesy Washington Nationals
Washington Nationals’ first-round draft pick Chris Hacopian inked his first professional contract Wednesday, a moment made sweeter by the fact it was just a 30-minute drive from home to get to Nationals Park and put pen to paper.
The 21-year-old second baseman and 11th overall pick in the 2026 MLB Draft has deep ties to the D.C. region. He’s from Potomac, Maryland, and played his high school ball at Winston Churchill, where he was named the 2022 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year and a 2022 Washington Post All-Met selection.
According to MLB.com, Hacopian grew up a Nationals fan, admiring the likes of Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa and others. He also played his first two collegiate seasons at the University of Maryland, where his father Derek played before him, before transferring to Texas A&M for his junior season.
With the Aggies, Hacopian hit .319 with 11 home runs and 41 RBI across 42 games en route to being named First-Team All-Southeastern Conference and a Third-Team All-American by Baseball America, the Nationals said in a news release.
After inking his contract Wednesday, Hacopian donned his new jersey and ball cap and stepped onto D.C.’s beloved diamond as a part of the Nationals organization for the first time.
“That was so cool, oh my gosh. I’ve been in the stands like, 100 times, but being on the field is so different,” he said.
Hacopian was ranked 14th among MLB Draft prospects by MLB.com. The 6-foot-1-inch, 210-pound second baseman boasted one of the best bats in college baseball, according to MLB.com, with excellent control over the strike zone and feel for the barrel, along with solid pop.
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The state said the five recently traveled together to “a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak.”
Maryland health officials confirmed five more measles cases, all in Carroll County.
“These individuals recently traveled together to a location in the U.S. experiencing an active measles outbreak,” the state Department of Health said in a release.
The agency said others may have been exposed on the afternoon of July 13 in the emergency department waiting room at Carroll Hospital Center in Westminster.
Another measles case recently prompted warnings from health officials in Maryland, Virginia and the District. On June 17, a Maryland resident traveled through Dulles International Airport and visited a D.C. urgent care clinic.
Measles is highly contagious. It can spread through the air through coughs, breathing, and sneezes. Early symptoms can include fevers of over 101 degrees, coughs, runny noses, watery eyes and face or body rashes.
It can take up to 21 days after exposure for the first symptoms to appear, and those who are not fully vaccinated or otherwise immune to measles are especially vulnerable.
The five new measles cases in Maryland bring the state’s year-to-date total to nine. The state health department confirmed three cases in 2025, and one in each of the previous two years.
“All Marylanders should review potential exposure times, watch for symptoms, and confirm they are up to date on their measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations,” the health department said.
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© 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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