The Bombshell News About the Key Bridge Rebuild

 Just when I thought that enough had been said about the Key Bridge collapse and rebuild, (I wrote two previous blog articles on the topic) a bombshell exploded yesterday that confirmed the worst fears about what could go wrong with the reconstruction. MDOT announced that the bridge would be nearly 300% more expensive than the previously published lower end of the estimated cost ($1.9 bn) and the completion time would be pushed back 2 additional years to 2030, i.e. extended by 50%! The media reported without comment, dutifully quoting the official explanations which had to do with inflation, tariffs and protected bride supports. I will get to this in a moment.

The proposed new Key Bridge (MdTA rendering)

It had been suspiciously quiet around the rebuilding of Key Bridge after the almost daily updates during the cleanup of the wrecked bridge right after the collapse. You will remember, the clean-up was completed ahead of the schedule which the "Unified Command" had set for itself with a heavy participation of Governor Moore. 

Impressed by that delivery, I had suggested to create a similar emergency framework around the rebuild as well, a unified command type structure in lieu of the highly regulated business as usual approach which is typical for public transportation projects.

Alas, the project was handed to the Maryland Transportation Authority MdTA, a branch under the Maryland Department of Transportation. There was some media noise around the request for proposals for the innovative "progressive design build" (PDB) title which was described by MdTA as a two-phase  approach. The PDB was supposed to foster collaboration, ensure flexibility, and compress the schedule in that no time was spent to prepare a design or specifications for the bidder. Not even the required new clear height or the minimum required protection of the piers was provided, the latter a no brainer after a pier had so spectacularly failed when the rudderless Dali had rammed it. The basic parameters were supposed to be established in phase 1 of the procurement along with a firm cost. Should design and cost be acceptable, MdTA would proceed with the selected bidder, otherwise it would "deliver the work under a separate contracting mechanism" (MdTA press release).

Original MdTA schedule (community meeting)

The silence from MdTA continued even when the anticipated  milestone of summer 2025 as the end of a conceptual design phase and a firming up of the cost anticipated came and went. The news about the Key Bridge were limited to details about the demolition of the remaining concrete portions of the bridge, the driving of test piles for the new bridge and that the new bridge would be offset to the side of the old one and not be constructed in the exact same place. It had also been shared that the new bridge would be some 50' taller than the old one and that it would be, as expected, "cable stayed". 

The cost and schedule bomb was detonated now, months after  the initial milestone. Kiewit, the selected bidder and designer, must have convinced MdTA officials that their exploded cost estimate was entirely reasonable since there is no word about ""delivering the work under a separate contracting mechanism."  According to Kiewit's own website, their official construction cost is still months away and will only be submitted in "the first quarter of 2026". Kiewit is only now soliciting subcontractor proposals for many trades.  

Apparently, the Trump administration's Department of Transportation got wind of the cost and schedule problems ahead of the public. Secretary Sean Duffy expressed in a September letter  "concerns" about "ballooning" cost, a slipping schedule and the DBE set-asides which are common practice for all public projects in Maryland. He added ominously: "We will leverage our oversight authorities to ensure this vital bridge is rebuilt the right way.” 

the large approach ramps that are being fully demolished (MdTA photo)

The last thing that Marylanders need is that Key Bridge rebuild becomes a political football. However, given the acrimony between the Governor and the President, it is unlikely that the feds will fork over two or three times the originally estimated $1.9 bn. This  which would throw Maryland's already troubled budget into even more stress. The official reasons given by MDOT why the bridge will be so much more expensive and so much slower to build point to Trump's tariffs, overall inflation and unexpected extra cost. Neither the tariffs nor the high inflation of construction materials can fully explain a cost increase of 200-300%. I suppose, unforeseen from the standpoint of a bidder in 2024, was the new bridge height of 230" feet instead of the previous 180'. Taller translates into longer approach ramps, taller pylons, higher loads, i.e. overall higher cost.  If cost and expediency was of utmost importance, a much more moderate increase of the clearance may have sufficed as well, especially since the Bay Bridge is only as tall as the old Key Bridge. Pans for a full reconstruction are in a pretty distant future. A less tall bridge may have allowed maintaining the old access ramps, although MdTA denies that this was an option. 

Even the new exorbitant cost doesn't allow any pedestrian or bike access to or across the bridge or any type of customization such as a viewing platform, iconic lighting or an art budget to name just a few things that could enhance the new bridge to become one again a landmark. 

More than all design aspects, though, what makes US infrastructure projects so slow and expensive, are  the bureaucratic procedures from procurement to permitting and construction. I got a first row view of that as a member of the Red Line project which a governor canceled for political reasons after 13 years of planning and review. 

Today public agencies such as MTA or MdTA don't have the staff to design or oversee large projects themselves. So, in addition to hiring contractors to build, they have to hire designers that draw things up and specify a project (in the case of the Key Bridge and the Purple Line the designer and contractor are part of the same contract), then they need to hire consultants that can oversee both, the design and the construction contractors. Every step of the way agencies have to involve the public (more consultants), follow all environmental laws (even more consultants and lawyers), procurement rules, labor contracts and the like (lots of lawyers). Most of these regulations have been enacted for good reasons, namely to protect the public. However, in an emergency it should be possible to cut to the chase and go straight for what needs to be done, just as it was demonstrated for the bridge debris removal and cleanup under "unified command" and as it was done for the large bridge in Genoa, Italy, that fell in a thunderstorm and was rebuilt in 18 months and within the budget. The same consortium that rebuilt the more than a mile long bridge there, offered their services here as well. As far as I know, they were never heard, let alone selected when they bid the job. 

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

previously on this blog:

The New Key Bridge - More Questions than Answers (7/24)

A "Cathedral of American Infrastructure" - gone in a few seconds (3/24)

The New Key Bridge - More Questions than Answers

 Three months after the catastrophic collapse of the Baltimore Francis Scott Key Bridge with the clean-up of the shipping channel completed in an extraordinary effort "under unified command" at a cost of about $150 million, the only certain thing is that the old bridge is gone. It is uncertain how the new bridge will look, how tall it will be, how far it will span, how many lanes it will have and who will pay for it.  That is a lot of uncertainty, some on account of all the chaos in Washington and some on account of a process called  “progressive design-build” (PBD).

The Francis Scott Key Bridge, a landmark and a gateway 
to Baltimore, 1.6 mile long, longest span 1,200'
(Photo: A. Perna/SUN) 

The matter of the new bridge has been thrusted into the hands of Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA), the agency in charge of Maryland's toll roads and toll facilities. Part of the Maryland Department of Transportation and created in 1971, these folks have built big stuff before, the Inter-County Connector (ICC), the MD 95 toll lanes north of the Harbor tunnel and the giant interchange with I-95. They were in charge of the construction of the Fort McHenry tunnel (1985) and oversaw the completion of the second span of the Bay Bridge (1973). Recently they completed the Middleton Nice bridge. A current MDTA investigation is the construction of a third Bay bridge.

But all of those projects had been on the books for decades, were thoroughly planned, designed and eventually included in the capital transportation investment plans. Some projects, such as the ICC were highly controversial and used innovative funding (GARVI bonds) and construction methods (Design-Build). Nothing compares to a project that originated overnight, has no firm funding and is estimated to cost $2.7 bn and to be completed in just 4 years.

Slide from the Industry Day: Very few specifics

Nevertheless, the MDTA went to work and put out a request for proposals (RFP) at the end of May. Responders had to be quick, the deadline for a response was June 24. The selected bidder is scheduled to be announced in July. 

The general set-up of "progressive design build"
(MDTA Slide from Industry Day)

The 54 page RFP  with a 139 page appendix is very cursory and leaves almost everything open for the two-step "progressive" approach in which a design framework is jointly created between MDTA and the successful bidder, followed by construction by the same team if the price is right. 

0. The process involves a single contract that unites MDTA with the selected PDB team, which includes contractor and designer roles. This procurement will select a qualified team for initial services to develop the project scope and requirements in collaboration with MDTA and project stakeholders. Upon successful completion of Phase 1, the PDB entity will have exclusive negotiating rights for Phase 2, which includes project final design/engineering and construction. In the event a guaranteed maximum price is not agreed upon, the MDTA will deliver the work under a separate contracting mechanism. (MDTA press release)

It is the point of "progressive design-build" to save time by working out the design between owner, designer and contractor. This aims to avoid the possibility that a design created by MDTA would take months or years to prepare only to be revised if the construction cost would come in too high at the time of bid. However, without any design and without funding it is hard to know what is "too high", even if a cost framework has been established. 

It isn't obvious, why the MDTA wouldn't at least stipulate a few design parameters as a given, even within the progressive design-build approach. During the "industry day" that preceded the RFP 1700 people registered indicating massive interest very little information was given about what would drive the redesign.  An unsolicited proposal from before the RFP submitted to MDOT soon after the collapse could have provided ideas and insights. The proposal, as reported, included higher vertical clearance and a much wider span across the shipping channel that would place the pylons in shallow waters outside the reach of big ships and thus avoiding the need for costly “dolphins” to protect them.

Corpus Christi, TX Harbor Bridge before (Truss bridge) and after
(Cable stayed): Higher and wider (205' clear ht)

Clarifying design principles in some kind of performance specification would put all bidders on equal footing, literally and figuratively, a goal of any typical request for proposals, popularly known as comparing apples to apples. 

Questions abound: 

• Should the new bridge should sit in the exact same vertical and horizontal alignment as the old one or whether it should wider and higher? The port indicated that a higher bridge is needed.
• MDTA received a determination from the federal government that they would grant the project a "categorical exclusion" (CE) which eliminates the time consuming preparation of a full environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under NEPA. At which point would modifications in width, height and spans challenge the assumption that a new bridge would not create additional environmental impacts? 
• Closely related to the question of design metrics is the question whether the concrete approach parts of the bridge could remain or must be demolished. Those ramps over water still stand and were not impacted by the collision and collapse. The RFP states that it is assumed that they would be demolished but doesn't explain why such a costly and time consuming assumption is made nor is it made entirely clear who would be responsible for that demolition and whether such demolition would still fall under a CE.  
• What are the required minimum protective measures for the supports?
• Is the projected project cost of $2.7bn realistic and what is it based on?
• Why would we settle for 4.5 years to completion? The projected time of Oct 2028 wouldn't be a speed record in bridge reconstruction after a collapse. Minnesota did it faster and spectacularly also Italy. There a big bridge in Genoa was redesigned and completed in 18 months involving local architect  Renzo Piano for attractive design. (The RFP allows for faster completion, of course and promises incentives to do so).

The collapse of the Key Bridge was a traumatic event that in an instant not only blocked one of the nation's busiest ports, but also eliminated a local landmark and severed a vital regional traffic artery that is urgently needed for truck traffic, commuting and a complete freeway network. The trauma shouldn't be followed by the drama of delays and cost overruns as in the case of the Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge or the Gordie Howe International Bridge towards Canada. The latter was scheduled to open this year but is delayed and has recently been estimated for a final cost of $4.7bn US dollars.

Cable stayed bridges: Gordie Howe International Bridge, MI (2024),
1.5 miles long, 138' clearance, delayed completion, cost $4.7 bn

Little of Governor Moore's word power, which he frequently and effectively used during the clean-up efforts under the "Unified Command",  has been used to speak about the new bridge design or set the framework for this extraordinary task. 

It was frequently mentioned how much the Key Bridge meant for Marylanders or Baltimoreans and how its sudden loss has carved a deep scar in the minds and hearts of many. What does this trauma mean for the rebuild process and the design one should expect for the replacement bridge?

Such  non-technical notions do not come easy to the bureaucrats and engineers who usually manage RFPs but they should set the stage for a task that is like none before.

The new bridge needs not only to be built extraordinarily fast, it has to be of such an excellent design that is it can become a recognizable and authentic landmark again. The new bridge needs to respond to rising sea levels, larger ships and increasing demands for alternative transportation modes such as transit, bikes and pedestrians that have previously not been accommodated on the bridge. 

The public can only hope that communication about what will happen next and how the MDTA will select the winning partner, and how it will establish metrics for design will be ramped up in the coming weeks. It can be expected that there are lots of interests that want to have say in this. Already there has been discussion whether a new bridge should have more vertical clearance than the 185' feet the old bridge had. The public deserves nothing less than participation and full transparency, no matter that everything has to happen fast. 

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

A "Cathedral of American Infrastructure" - gone in a few seconds

I learned about the bridge collapse the old fashioned way: by word of mouth. On my early morning walk at 6am my neighbor stopped his pick up truck, rolled the window down and said, "the Key Bridge is gone". With that he showed me the video clip of the ship ramming the pier and the immediate collapse. "All gone" he said, and added "be safe" before he drove on to his work. 

Francis Key Bridge, a "Cathedral of American Infrastructure"

Later on this calamitous day the Mayor of Baltimore, the Baltimore County Executive, Congressmen, the Secretaries of the State and federal Transportation departments and even the President himself expressed their shock about what had happened. 

DOT Secretary called the bridge a "cathedral of American infrastructure" and with that adequately expressed the meaning of the bridge in the minds of people in Maryland and beyond for whom this bridge was an iconic landmark that was visible from many vantage points. One could stand in Patterson Park and if the weather was good clearly see the Key Bridge. Seeing it added value to real estate like like seeing the Washington Monument in DC or the Eiffel Tower in Paris. The industrial touch was apt for this industrial legacy city with a proud history in steel, right next to the bridge at Sparrows Point which is currently being reborn as a distribution/manufacturing and shipping center. The New York Times observed that "the Key, with its gently sloping arch and views that no tunnel could match, had become an emblem of Baltimore’s identity as a working port city". Former Mayor Kurt Schmoke called it a "blue collar bridge". Those blue collar workers are now facing an uncertain future as long as the shipping channel remains blocked and access to Sparrows Point limited.  

For now the giant container cranes of the port of Baltimore have to act as the stand-ins, their line up clearly pointing to where the bridge is now missing with the jarring ramps pointlessly reaching up to the void. 

A clip from the video showing the bridge buckling

The collapse caused waves around the globe. For a day it became top news in many media and TV outlets, nationally and internationally. German TV sent their reporter from Washington to Baltimore for a live report on site, Spanish noticias brought a Spanish engineer into view who explained why their biggest bridge, the Puente de la Constitución de 1812 in Cádiz would not experience the same fate. French TV at one point focused entirely on the ship and how it was unheard of that all its systems would fail at the same time. British tabloids had engineers explain the flaws of the continuous truss bridge design.

This is a remarkable effect, in part owed in part to the unique coincidence of events which never have happened like this before, in part due to the sheer size of both the bridge and the ship for which it was no match. The Dali is 985 feet (300 meters) long and about 157 feet (48 meters) wide and weighed with cargo about 115,000 tons. The global response also speaks to both, the power of design and engineering as much as to their weakness when it comes to the most daring design and engineering endeavors. 

The world was shocked when the Hindenburg burnt, when a manned space shuttle disintegrated in space and when two regular airliners brought down the twin towers of the World Trade Center and in each case the shock seems to have been a mix of mourning for the lost life and utter astonishment that things can fail so spectacularly. The more awe inspiring a design is, the bigger the shock when it gets destroyed. 

The bridge, the giant ship and the idled port (BBJ)

The Key Bridge was awe inspiring because its tall arched steel truss could be seen for miles and was very impressive when traversing the bridge in a car, high up above the water with the skyline of Baltimore in the distance. And this design was also impressive for engineers, the truss was reportedly the third longest continuous steel truss span in the world and the second longest in the US. Construction began in 1972 and the bridge was opened to traffic on March 23, 1977 as the last piece closing the Baltimore Beltway I-695. Including its connecting approaches, the total project length encompasses a 10.9-mile corridor. Of course, now the impressive truss becomes a liability since the design lacked redundancy. Lacking redundancy generates elegance but also increases vulnerability.

'When you take away one of the supports you get a catastrophic failure because all those parts that are interconnected suddenly become overloaded,' Julian Carter, a Fellow of the UK Institution of Civil Engineers as quoted in the British Daily Mail

The fallen bridge still blocks the port of Baltimore and with it vital shipping of bulk cargo, cruise ships and also container shipping which is generally not Baltimore's main staple. Finding the victims of the collapse in the water is the first priority. Once again highway maintenance workers died while doing work on the beltway. Then clearing the shipping channel will be urgent. While everyone in this region knew the Key Bridge, many only now learn how important Baltimore's port is for this region and far beyond.

 

The technical aspects of the bridge (Daily Mail, UK)

The president highlighted that the Port of Baltimore is one of the nation's largest shipping hubs and that it handled a record amount of cargo last year. He added that 850,000 vehicles go through the port every single year, 15,000 jobs depend on the port, and 30,000 vehicles cross the bridge on a daily basis (The Hill)

Soon enough minds will turn to designing a replacement bridge, which will likely take years. Should speed win over esthetics or should the new bridge strive to be iconic once again? Designing a bridge spanning the shipping channel high enough for tall ships to clear cannot be done with a ready to go standard highway bridge design. Most likely the specifications alone will make a new bridge also remarkable and eventually a new landmark, whether it uses steel trusses or cable trusses or some other technique. Maybe a temporary low structure that would be opened up for ships to pass could take some pressure off a new final bridge design which most cost effectively would connect to the still standing approach ramps. 

Certainly lessons will be applied, none of them simple or cheap. The first place to apply lessons may not be a new Key Bridge but the nearby Bay Bridge double span as well as the far away Oakland Bay Bridge, the Delaware Bridge and many others which appear to be equally vulnerable. 

Only if the new connection would be a tunnel would it not be a landmark any longer, but a tunnel wouldn't solve the issue of hazardous cargo that is prohibited on all tunnels, including the already existing tunnels under the Baltimore Harbor.

Spanish Cable Stayed Puente de la Constitución de 1812 in Cádiz 

“I do not know of a bridge that has been constructed to withstand a direct impact from a vessel of this size,” DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg

He may well be right. The force from a 115 000 ton ship moving at 9mph is beyond any impact force that is in the current design guidelines for bridges. From 1960 to 2015, there were 35 major bridge collapses worldwide due to ship or barge collisions, according to the World Association for Waterborne Transport Infrastructure. Redundancy in the bridge design would make a collapse less likely or allow a partial one versus a total collapse. Stronger pylons would withstand bigger impacts and guideposts and floating "dolphin" barriers may direct ships away from pylons. Keeping tugboats steering the ship until it passed the bridge maybe another option. One can hope that engineers and designers rise to the occasion. But no design will ever be able to prevent failure against what was not calculated or anticipated. 

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

The promising new faces of the Middle Branch

Anybody who hasn't recently been to Port Covington (yeah, I know I am supposed to say "Baltimore Peninsula") or who just sees the area from I-95, or who has written the "Plank-town" off as an unattainable or a not even desirable dream, or has forgotten about Port Covington and the Middle Branch altogether over the hoopla around HarborPlace, I recommend a visit. With the below photo-tour one can update the impressions from the sofa. 

The Middle Branch in the back and beyond the water Cherry Hill
(Photo: Philipsen)

No longer are we just talking about Under Armor's much downsized "global headquarters" occupies a total of 50 acres of land and the adjacent 235 acre compendium development is now headed off by lead developers, MAG Partners, MacFarlane Partners, and investor Sagamore Ventures but also 25 acres next to the HQ campus, the Locke Insulator company redevelopment, roughly the land area of HarborPoint.

 Also in design is the Westport waterfront while the beautiful new Cherry Hill recreation center is already in service for a while. All will be connected by a promenade and trail system that will even cross the water on a to be restored railroad bridge.

So far the Sagamore venture team has completed 1.1 million square feet of stuff along with several streets and a small park as well as waterfront green. According to their own report, construction contracts totaling more than $134M have been awarded to minority- and women-owned construction firms which amounts to 35% of contracts that have gone to minority-owned businesses and 13% to women-owned enterprises.  20% of the apartments completed in the first building phase are designated as affordable units. $2.5 million worth of grants were given to SB7 communities (Westport, Lakeland, Cherry Hill, Brooklyn, Curtis Bay and the Peninsula itself). According to the self reporting, these numbers exceed the minimum required in the community compact.

Port Covington/Pensinsula masterplan (Source: Impact Report)

Together with the previously complete Sagamore Distillery and its restaurant now being updated for a new tenant and to be open soon, there are areas where one can feel the beginnings of a new urban section, even though one has to still traverse wastelands to get there. 

A courtyard in Sagamore's development with
a reflection of the distillery's water tower
(Photo: Phiipsen)

Under Armor's headquarter campus is also taking shape with the 280,000 sq. ft. headquarters and fitness building called TMB2, a five-story, 75 ft. high building  currently being closed in with a glass facade. Where the structure is still open one can see the widespread use of heavy timber for ceilings and floors.

 Mark Sapperstein's 28 Walker Development is in charge of Locke's Landing, the redevelopment of the Locke Insulator plant that had been shuttered in 2017. 

Anyone who ever went to Nick's Fish House or the adjoining Marina or has traversed the Hanover Street Bridge with open eyes was familiar with Locke's Insulator 1920s 625,000sf sprawling industrial landmark of Baltimore's manufacturing past. No longer. It took the demolition company a mere 4 months to level, haul off or recycle the entire plant. Not only that, some 50 entirely new townhomes have already risen out of the ground with a dozen or so ready to be occupied next month. An apartment building at the corner of Hanover Street and Insulator drive is also coming out of the ground. 

Mark Sapperstein and Scott Slosson of 28 Walker
Development explaining the Locke Landing project
(Photo: Philipsen)

"This pace is basically insane" Sapperstein says, not without pride about this type of progress on land that he acquired only in 2022 in the middle of a pandemic, sputtering supply lines and inflated construction costs. 

He points out that his team emerged as the winner among the seven bidders for the industrial site mostly because his experience with environmental remediation and because Locke's Japanese owner liked that his team was the only one to clean the site to "residential" standards which are higher than for industrial or mixed use.  This should also be good for the surrounding water.

When it is all said and done, "Locke Landing" will have 904 housing units in a mix of apartments and 393 townhouse units. One cannot help but compare the pace of this project with Madison Park on North Avenue, MCB's project of a similar size and program.  After 10 years it is still stuck on putting pipes in the ground. (MCB's David Bramble points to many external difficulties including the progressing design of the Douglass tunnel under his site which held it up for some time). 

Sapperstein earned his environmental chops at Canton Crossing where his shopping center and mixed use development site on a previous Exxon tank farm. He also developed McHenry Row and Banner Row in Locust Point. None of his developments are architecturally earth-shattering with small exceptions: At Canton Crossing his team erected Baltimore's first heavy timber structure. But all of Sapperstein's developments are highly successful and free of Baltimore's usual ailments of rapidly changing retail tenants, long delays in construction or overwrought subsidies. Sapperstein even built tiny homes for Hope Village. In a presentation to ULI Sapperstein sang rare praises of Baltimore's development process and its flexibility and speed. 

1.1 million soft of development waiting for
users (Photo: Philipsen)

Even those who have reservations about the City TIF for Port Covington going to infrastructure, there should be some level of excitement in seeing the drastically transforming Middle Branch shores formerly defined by rail yards and pollution spewing industries. 

Dismissed by some as bland boxes, Sagamore's  residential and office buildings completed to date are not bland but carefully designed and placed to create some interesting spaces far beyond the normal grid of streets and alleys. Their problem is less one of design but more one of lack of demand. As beautiful as the sidewalks, facades and courtyards look, so far, they are sorely missing people, giving rise to the concern how long the joint venture can sustain this, even with a financial partner such as Goldman Sachs. 

Many in Baltimore oppose all the development in Baltimore that is happening along the waterfront in HarborPoint, Canton and Port Covington on the grounds that it cannibalizes downtown, or even more fundamentally, that it diverts funds from fixing up the badly ailing neighborhoods in the disinvested areas of the "Black Butterfly" areas east and west of downtown. Both points of critique seem quite plausible, at least on the face of it, especially in a shrinking city like Baltimore. 

However, there is also a strong argument to be made that economic development is not a zero sum game and that for Baltimore to break out of its cycle of shrinkage and disinvestment it needs to offer commercial and residential real estate opportunities that are competitive with Washington, Philadelphia and even Richmond, all places that are in a constant churn of re-inventing themselves. Even if those new developments are not for all, proponents argue that there is a trickle down into the City coffers that the City can ill afford not to have. 

There is no time in Baltimore's history which one would want to conserve and put into some type of snow cone. Each period has been full of injustices, contradictions and oppressive practices. 

Port Covington's community benefits agreement is in many respects a model for a new paradigm of progress that relies on more than just trickle down. Just go and look at the new Cherry Hill rec center on the other side of the Hanover Street Bridge to see how a gleaming new neighborhood facility can rise from dedicated set asides intended to reverse past inequities (Under Armor and Casino funds). It can be expected that the Westport waterfront developer will fulfill similar agreements with the Westport community. Connecting all these developments is Baltimore's second waterfront, the long forgotten Middle Branch with its masterplan largely funded from Casino proceeds. The plan is well underway towards realization and promises to provide equitable access to water and recreation all along the shorelines, a true second Baltimore waterfront. Not really a bad prospect.

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA 

(this article was updated on 3/25/24 to include the link to the "impact report" and an image of the Port Covington/Peninsula masterplan)

Related articles on this blog:

Big names and ideas for Baltimore's second waterfront

A picture tour at sunset on the first day of spring 2024:

The base of a new apartment building at the foot of Hanover Bridge

The Under Armor TM2 Building from a distance

Sagamore development: More than just boxes 

Sagamore residential development, retail below

Varied fenestration, materials but no variation in height

The Sagamore development pocket park

The Sagamore development pocket park

The Sagamore development pocket park

Green roof

Extravagant streetscape, wide sidewalks, narrow lanes, planting strips

Extravagant streetscape, Wide sidewalks, narrow lanes, planting strips

The development includes several intimate pedestrian spaces

The development includes several intimate pedestrian spaces

Extravagant streetscape, Wide sidewalks, narrow lanes, planting strips

The development includes several intimate pedestrian spaces

Empty streets and sidewalks 

The development still sits pretty isolated

The Locke Landing development consists of townhouses and two apartment buildings

The first homes in the Locke Landing development are sold and almost ready to be occupied

The Locke Landing architecture is predictable, the layout rigid

The Locke Landing development is constructed and marketed by two national homebuilders

The Locke Landing development in the foreground with Under Armor in the back

Locke Landing development: Ready to put up the next townhomes

The Under Armor TM2 Building: Mass timber on five levels

Cherry Hill Recreation Center 

Cherry Hill Rec Center

(all photos copyright Philipsen)

Ideas how to draw people to Baltimore during COVID

The other day I placed two photos showing a boarded Visitors center and an empty promenade side by side with the caption "Baltimore isn't open for visitors and nobody is coming either". I caught a lot of flak for that. Baltimorean's are quick to defend their city, no matter the usual griping. That's a good thing. This article tries to develop some thoughts what could be done safely in Baltimore while highlighting the City's many assets.

Here a detailed Facebook comment that contains such a good list of suggestions that I repeat it here in full length:

the post that received the push-back

The Inner Harbor is beautiful in many ways without the crowds and the open commercial establishments while taking a leisurely walk around the area, but Baltimore City is more than the Inner Harbor just look around you at the wonderful museums, the different style of architecture that exists in the city and one moment you can be in France, another Germany, another the Netherlands and the all typical American representing the groups of individuals who live and lived here. A walk around the Walters looking at the Bayre Sculptures is a trip to France and the Anderson building just north of the sculptures is absolutely amazing. Lexington Market is now open and a treat to go and visit and try some typical Baltimore food. A visit to Poe's grave is a treat to see and learn of the history, as well as trip to the Hopkins campus, the Loyola campus so you don't just have to judge the city on the Inner Harbor when there is so much more to see in this beautiful city of ours. We all need exercise and with our masks on we can walk around and marvel at the sights unfold from one street to another. (Christian Wilson, a born Bostonian)

While it is true that Baltimore has many dormant treasures that wait for discovery, passively waiting for people doing the discovering may not be enough to avert economic calamity. I tried to establish some context for my post by observing how many visitor repelling things come together at the Inner Harbor:  the "visitor center closed, the

Construction at Rash Field, Constellation Pier and Visitor Center

pavilions decimated, Rash Field closed, the Constellation docking place closed, the water taxi limping on minimal or no service, Barnes&Noble to be closed and no Conventions, no book festival, no Light City, and empty hotels make it hard to see how the area can be attractive. But that drew only more criticism: After somebody drew the scary comparison to San Francisco "according to friends who live in San Francisco, it's more dead than Baltimore right now". Facebook friend  Vickie Gray added:

Yes, and I don't see how posts like this are helpful. We all know Baltimore is taking a beating from COVID and other events. I and others frequently find ourselves defending our choice to live in the city. I enjoy Klaus' writing and perspective very much but would love to see less doom and gloom and more objective analysis. Articulate, thoughtful people can do a lot to lift the mood of our city and our people. And it's a beautiful September day. I am thankful to live here.

The  honey her post included made the criticism sting even more. True, constructive ideas would help. Especially when so many venues, restaurants, artists and retailers fight for survival. 

Another Facebook comment was another ode to the promenade:

Water taxi landing in Locust Point

I walk the promenade most days, often 5 miles round trip. It is usually very lively and over the weekends packed. Whenever I am feeling down about our great city all I need to do is walk. It is a constant source of positivity. The extent to which the promenade has grown as a place for recreation in the face of covid is extraordinary. Locals, visitors, strollers, scooters, walkers, joggers, as well as kayakers, stand up paddle boards- and now turtles, blue crabs, osprey, heron etc etc in abundance. Klaus- the glass is way more than half full. Add some rose color to your lenses. (Bill Pencek).

Another Facebook friend noted:

Glass half empty is Harbor Place, B&N......Glass more than half full is development has encircled the harbor for miles in both directions from Silo Point /Anthem House to Brewers Hill with multiple new projects every year making a better urban experience and providing many jobs during construction and after.

Couldn't Light City be Covid themed and safe?

This is all true, yet I feel that after the first shock of COVID Baltimore could be a bit more proactive in playing its assets up. BOPA's webpage lists only what is NOT happening. Visit Baltimore's webpage still list the long gone restaurant Week as an attraction and otherwise promotes virtual visits as if the entire city was still in lock-down.

Thinking about how to make Baltimore attractive through COVID safe offerings isn't just about tourism. It is also about allowing residents to come out of their isolation and counter the idea that cities are inherently unsafe places in a pandemic. It is about saving small local businesses from extinction. And by saving businesses and venues from going bust, it is also saving Baltimore's budget from sinking into an abyss. The DOT installed Slow Streets and the many new "parklets" on city streets are a great start.

Much what works in small towns and suburbs can work inside a bigger city as well. So here some additional thoughts:

• Certainly visitors that want to go to the visitor center should be greeted by a sign that indicates where information can be had while the center gets its makeover. 
• Certainly the many new pop-up outdoor dining spaces could be highlighted. With so many outdoor spaces created on parking lots and street space, dining in Baltimore can be safe and enjoyable and should be promoted as a new attraction.
• Certainly the artists suffering from closed galleries, museums and performances could be invited to help put together COVID-safe cultural events.  Light City Baltimore under Corona conditions could be much more than a copy of what light shows have done elsewhere.
• For example, instead of just cancelling Artscape and Light City wouldn't it have been exciting to have a call for ideas for safe and appropriate versions of these events under COVID? 
• The BSO, in trouble before COVID  had toured unusual venues such as the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the New Psalmist Church. With COVID, couldn't that idea be expanded to outdoor concerts in public spaces? Could be the example for the ballet, theaters and art to use the great outdoors as long as outdoor activity is still possible?
• Bengies, an old style drive in movie theater in Baltimore County was sold out during a recent showing. Couldn't temporary drive in movie shows be installed at Mondawmin Mall or the stadium parking lots? 

  

  Sandlot at HarborPoint is at least as safe as Ocean City 

Staycation is what most people do. Parks and beaches have drawn so many people that the trip back over the Bay Bridge on Labor Day took hours of wait in an eight mile back-up. Baltimore has its own beach, Sandlot at HarborPoint. Its website doesn't mention COVID with a single word. Couldn't Baltimore advertise its beautiful parks that compared to Central Park in New York languish most of the year. A sculpture exhibit in Druid Park? The Zoo had the right idea with a drive-through promotional event, couldn't something like that be expanded to the entire park, maybe eventually without the car as extended PPE? What about all the food trucks that certainly also suffer from the lack of people downtown and the cancelled events? Why couldn't a food truck event in Druid Park, Leakin Park or in the parking lot of the M&T Stadium be made safe? Aren't food trucks extremely adaptable to the conditions under the pandemic? 

Winands Meadow at Leakin Park: Inviting but empty

Black Lives matter demonstrations and associated street art and murals have shown that the streets can be taken back from cars and the lock-down alike without creating dangerous virus hot-spots and that outdoor gatherings in the city can be organized safely.

Finally, the Promenade that started this article. Five full miles around the Inner Harbor are, in my opinion, way more interesting than the boardwalk in Ocean City. Why not advertise it and bring food-trucks, outdoor music and buskers to it in a coordinated big effort to draw visitors and make it safe at the same time?

Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

The carousel taken away from the Inner Harbor has built in social distancing

Center Plaza in downtown has built in social distancing 

Food trucks can be safe during COVID

McKeldin Plaza has built in social distancing

New outdoor eating opportunity, Harbor East

New outdoor eating opportunity, Fells Point

New outdoor eating opportunity, Fells Point

Miles of  new "slow streets": Opportunities for outdoor activities

New outdoor eating opportunities Federal Hill

Safe baseball practice: Locust point

View of downtown from Carroll Park

Curtis Bay Park: Inviting Social distancing events