Sponsor urges renaming Francis Scott Key span as memorial bridge after collapse response

Delegate Bob Long urged the committee to adopt legislation to recognize the Francis Scott Key span as a memorial bridge following last year’s bridge collapse and recovery operations.

Long recounted the March collapse after the bridge was struck by a container ship, praised the crews who worked to clear the channel under hazardous conditions and noted six people died in the incident. He urged the committee to align the official name with the site’s historical status, pointing to the U.S. Department of the Interior listing and to local calls for recognition. "We need to recognize the people that's worked on this bridge," Long said, and he asked legislators to support a name change to reflect its status as a memorial.

Long said renaming should honor workers and first responders and acknowledged traffic and economic impacts while urging a favorable report; he noted the bill is cross-filed in the Senate. No technical language or formal vote was recorded in the hearing transcript.

Why it matters: sponsor framed the change as a commemorative recognition of victims and responders to a high-profile transportation disaster.

Next steps: sponsor requested a favorable vote and legislative sponsors indicated cross-filed status in the Senate.