They were forced to look upon it

And as for the remains of the Key Bridge being visible in that live TV view, if nothing changes I know that one day a new bridge will appear there in the background. I don’t know how I will feel about it, and I also wonder if the residents of Dundalk and nearby areas will readily adopt it as their new steel and concrete monster. Will it one day become celebrated? Will it come to represent that part of town as did the old monster? Will it become a symbol of Baltimore? That seems to be a thing regarding monstrous bridges…they do come to define the area in which they are located. Very much like in the same way some buildings define the skyline of certain cities. For some they are a thing of horror, but for others they are an iconic landmark to be celebrated. West Virginia has adopted the New River Gorge Bridge as a symbol of the state itself, in much the same way as the St. Louis Arch is a symbol of Missouri. And West Virginia has recently placed an image of their star monster on drivers licenses and state Ids. This despite that monster playing host to hundreds of self-inflicted deaths over the years. That would be like Maryland having an image of the Bay Bridge on state Ids. Iconic, yes, but also it would be downright creepy for those who do not see that bridge in such a positive light.

But what of the people who are in those minority groups? What about those who have lost loved ones, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc, from fatal bridge jumps? What about people like me who are close to those who have been badly effected by such deaths? The deceased Key Bridge jumper was from Dundalk, as was some of his family. Surely many who knew him were forced to look upon the bridge after his demise. And no doubt the bridge may have been a part of their daily commute, or at maybe they would have necessary occasion to cross it frequently. What of the those who worked in the area, where they would see it every day? Perhaps some could even see it from where they lived. At least neither I, nor my friend or my mom had that monster right in their own back yards, so to speak. A situation which cannot be avoided for those survivors living in proximity to that blood stained structure. The inescapable sinister steel monstrosity that towered over the river that was highly visible by day and lit by night. How terrible that would be to have to look upon the Key Bridge for those in that situation. Or worse, have to cross it on a regular basis. I wonder if some simply avoided it at all costs, driving up thru the city and around to avoid going near it. This does not even include those who were simply afraid of crossing it. I cannot help but wonder how many people did the same thing I did by just ignoring the monster. That would be much harder to do for those in the vicinity, but it could be done.