In search of a survivor

Logically I can separate fact from feelings, but my emotions still reign supreme in memory of this lost regional landmark. Truly speaking, the Key Bridge harmed no one. In contrast, it greatly benefited the region. I don’t ever recall hearing about any vehicles going over its sides, nor even any really bad accidents taking place on it. In fact, it was perhaps one of the least eventful stretches of the interstate that circles Baltimore. And those who jumped from its heights into the water – or spilled their blood onto its piers, did so of their on volition. Whatever morbid fixations they had on the bridge were in their own depressed minds. The best I can hope for is to try putting all of this into perspective, to see both sides, darkness and light. This misunderstood monster is now gone, passed into history but never to be forgotten. Itself a victim of a rare freak accident that should have never happened.

It is said you can never go home again, and likewise I can never revisit these now vanished things, places and structures. I just keep them alive in my memory. But sometimes, just per chance, I find out that there is a roundabout way to revisit them. If not literally, then at least I can get close to something similar and much like the original. Ancient wonders like the hanging gardens of Babylon are long gone, but the great pyramids of Giza can still be seen and explored. The Key Bridge is gone, but it too has some survivors of its kind….

The mighty sabertooth cat is of course extinct, yet one can still go to a zoo (or on a safari in the wild) and see an equally impressive lion or tiger. Not long after the collapse, I discovered that the Key Bridge has a close kin of sorts, not far away. Obscured and largely unknown, this kindred bridge lies hidden in the dark heart of West Virginia. Both began construction around the same time and opened the same year in 1977. Unlike the Key Bridge, this ancient looking monster stretches across an enormous gorge spanning a much smaller river far below. Its rusty and seemingly rickety appearance belies its true age, making it look very much like an antique Victorian age railroad crossing from an old western movie. The New River Gorge Bridge is not nearly as long as the Key Bridge was, but it is far, far higher above its respective body of water. None of its structure can be seen from the roadway that traverses it, as that is hidden from crossing motorists. This monster can really only be appreciated from below, and apparently one can get up close and very personal with it should they choose. This was not possible with the Key Bridge, and seldom is it with the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. I could never find and gaze upon that old spooky tree up close as a child, but this time I will be able to get a very detailed look at this monster. The chance to actually be able to intensely scrutinize and even touch the likes of which had so long been an object of avoidance, mystery, fascination, intimidation and (sometimes) fear. So the Key Bridge may be gone, but this other span may turn out to be just as compelling, awe inspiring and maybe even a little scary. Most importantly, this particular bridge is accessible to me. As yet having not seen or experienced it in person, I can’t really say all that much about it. But apparently one can, for the price of a guided tour, traverse the entire 3000 foot length of the bridge via a maintenance catwalk just beneath the road deck. All the while looking straight down to the river over 850 feet below…