Pax Officer Reflects on Key Bridge Response One Year Later

The landscape of Baltimore was changed forever in the early morning hours of March 26, 2024 when the historic and strategic Key Bridge collapsed after it was struck by a container ship transiting the waters of the Baltimore Harbor. In the days and weeks to follow a veritable army of local, state, and federal personnel from across multiple agencies would respond to the tragedy that cost the lives of six. Among them was Ensign Mercedes Lentz, NAS Patuxent River, a Navy Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) officer and construction manager for Naval Air Station Patuxent River’s Naval Facilities Engineering Systems (NAVFAC) office.
A year after the incident, Lentz recalls the wholly unique and humbling experience of responding to the bridge collapse. She worked side-by-side with members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in their efforts to not only respond to the structural collapse, but also its impact to ground and water traffic at one if the east coast’s busiest strategic ports.
“The Key Bridge collapse compromised the Federal Channel; USACE is the lead agency for federal navigation, so the Baltimore District Office was part of the U.S. Coast Guard led Unified Command charged with restoring vessel traffic to the Port of Baltimore as quickly as possible, NAVFAC joined USACE in filling section watches as Battle Captains.”
Lentz described the dynamic environment as a unique opportunity for a junior officer, one that filled a short amount of time with many valuable lessons.
“I was only in Baltimore for a week and a half, but during that time I gained valuable experience in damage assessment and recovery and I participated in the USACE Battle Captain watch by supporting the flow of information from contractors in the field to leadership briefing very senior personnel like the Governor, Mayor, Senators, and Generals,” said Lentz. “This was a unique experience that allowed USACE and the CEC to work together and learn about their organizations and missions. It was interesting to see how proficient USACE is at responding to crises around the country.”
That sentiment was shared by Maryland U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, who stated in an interview to WTOP news March 24, 2025 that the personnel of the USACE “played a heroic role,” in their response to the collapse, and  “everybody responded as they should, and everything seemed to click together.” 
 For Lentz, the lessons learned will carry through her career.
“I will get very few opportunities in my career to participate in recoveries like this, said Lentz. “This opportunity, although short, has given me a look into the personnel and logistics required in a recovery effort of this scope. I met a lot of really great people that are experts in emergency management, and they were able to share their past experiences and lessons learned to make sure the Key Bridge recovery went as smoothly as possible. Everyone was very professional and passionate about the work they do. It was inspiring to see so many subject matter experts working together and the way the community came together to support the Unified Command.”
As Lentz looks to the future, so does Maryland. The state is working to secure funding for a new bridge, with Maryland Governor Wes Moore unveiling designs in February 2025.