Breakfast links: NTSB reports early power outages in Baltimore bridge collapse
Cargo ship Dali crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Image courtesy of the office of the Comptroller of Maryland.
NTSB report gives first details in Baltimore bridge collapse
The National Transportation Safety Board released a preliminary report Tuesday on the ship that caused the collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge, killing six construction workers. It showed that the ship experienced two blackouts while in port the day before the crash. On the day of the crash, a blackout caused the crew to lose control of the ship, with steering momentarily restored by manually closing breakers. It may take more than a year for a final report to be released. (The Post article may be behind a paywall). (WTOP, Post)
RFK bill will face delay in Senate committee
The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on National Parks will meet today, May 15, to discuss a proposal to give greater control of the RFK stadium site to the District government. The bill would enable the city to lease the stadium campus for commercial and residential development. Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana) will block the bill unless the Commanders properly honor members of the Blackfeet Tribe who helped create the team’s former logo. (The Post article may be behind a paywall). (Sam Fortier / Post, Ida Domingo / ABC7)
Developer nixes plans for mixed-use project near Arboretum
Douglas Development changed course on a proposed mixed-use development, branded as “New City DC,” along New York Avenue NE. The initial plan for the 16-acre site near the National Arboretum included 1.5 million square feet of retail, restaurant, and residential space. Now, Douglas intends to construct a 186,000 square foot warehouse with 200 parking spaces and rehabilitate a former school building into 25,000 square feet of retail space. ANC 5C will vote on a resolution opposing the new project at its meeting today, May 15. (Emily Wishingrad / BisNow, UrbanTurf)
Arlington apartment project abandoned by developer
Fillmore Center, LLC. scrapped its plans to transform a strip mall on Columbia Pike into a 247-unit apartment complex. The project was first paused in 2022 when a planned ground-floor grocery store tenant withdrew, complicated further by a fire, rodent infestations, and the condemnation of some of its retail bays last June. The Arlington County Board will vote on the developer’s request to discontinue a use permit on Tuesday, May 21. (Daniel Egitto / ARLnow)
WMATA website outage was caused by a cyberattack
WMATA’s website went temporarily offline for about two hours on Tuesday, May 7, due to a denial-of-service cyberattack. The attack overwhelmed the site with excessive traffic, preventing the server from serving legitimate clients. No customer or employee data was compromised and its other services like the SmarTrip app were unaffected. (Adam Tuss / NBC4)
New Eisenhower Avenue condo up for review
A new residential development near the Eisenhower Metro Station in Alexandria is up for review by the area’s design review board. The Block 20 East Condominiums would be a 12-story condo building with 110 units. (Vernon Miles / ALXnow)
New electrical transmission rule affects Maryland
A new federal rule requires electrical transmission lines to be planned in detail every five years with a 20-year outlook, accounting for state regulations, cost trends, and power plant retirements. The rule could improve planning for states with decarbonization targets, and in the case of the closure of a Maryland coal-fired power plant, better account for the hundreds of millions of dollars in transmission costs that will result from the plant’s retirement. (Robert Zullo / Maryland Matters)
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