Crossing Baltimore Harbor Without the Key Bridge: Tunnels, the Beltway and Your Route to BWI

Before March 26, 2024, anyone driving between Dundalk, Sparrows Point or Pasadena and the south side of the harbor had three ways across the Patapsco: the Fort McHenry Tunnel, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and the Francis Scott Key Bridge on the outer loop of I-695. When a container ship struck the bridge that morning and the span collapsed, the third option disappeared overnight. Rebuilding is underway, but until a new bridge opens the harbor has two road crossings, and both are tunnels. That one fact shapes a surprising number of trips to and from BWI Marshall.

The Two Crossings That Remain

The Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95)

The Fort McHenry Tunnel carries I-95 under the harbor between Locust Point and Canton. It is the larger of the two tunnels, with eight lanes in four tubes, and it is the default crossing for anyone traveling the I-95 corridor between Washington, BWI and points north toward White Marsh, Aberdeen and Delaware. It is a toll facility, and like every Maryland toll crossing it collects tolls electronically, so there is no cash booth to stop at.

The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895)

The older Baltimore Harbor Tunnel carries I-895 between the Brooklyn and Curtis Bay side and the Canton and O'Donnell Street side of the city. It is smaller — two lanes in each direction — and it sits on a more direct line between the southern Anne Arundel County suburbs and East Baltimore. Because I-895 connects with the Baltimore-Washington Parkway and I-95 south of the city, it is often the quickest path between BWI and the east side of the city when it is flowing well.

Why Some Traffic Can't Use Either Tunnel

Here is the part many drivers forget: vehicles carrying hazardous materials are prohibited from both harbor tunnels. Before the collapse, those trucks crossed on the Key Bridge. Now they have to take the long way around the western side of the Beltway, through the I-695 interchanges near Catonsville, Woodlawn and Towson. Some oversized loads face similar restrictions.

The practical effect is more heavy truck traffic on the western and northern stretches of I-695 than there used to be, especially on weekdays, and more pressure on the tunnel approaches during the morning and evening peaks. A crash or a lane closure in either tunnel now has fewer alternatives to absorb it. The Maryland Transportation Authority, which runs both tunnels, posts current restrictions and incident information, and it is worth checking its official site or the state's travel information service before any trip where timing matters.

What Changed for the East Side of the Region

Dundalk and Sparrows Point

For Dundalk, Edgemere and the Sparrows Point area, the Key Bridge was the short way south. Today a trip from Dundalk to BWI typically runs west to one of the tunnels — usually the Harbor Tunnel via I-895, or I-95 through the Fort McHenry Tunnel — and then south toward the airport. When the tunnels are backed up, the alternative is the northern Beltway, which is longer in miles but sometimes steadier in time. Our Dundalk limo service page covers the area in more detail.

Pasadena, Riviera Beach and the Mountain Road Corridor

Pasadena residents used to reach Dundalk, Essex and the eastern side of the region in minutes by crossing the Key Bridge from Fort Smallwood Road. That connection is gone for now, so trips north and east route back through Glen Burnie and into the tunnels. The good news for flyers is that BWI itself sits west of Pasadena, so the airport run is less affected than trips across the water. Our BWI to Pasadena car service page lays out that route.

Annapolis and the South

Travelers coming up from Annapolis and the Bay Bridge corridor mostly use I-97 or Route 2 to reach BWI, and those routes never relied on the Key Bridge. Where things change is for Annapolis-area travelers heading to the northeastern part of the region — White Marsh, Perry Hall, Bel Air — who now funnel through a tunnel or around the Beltway. For airport trips from the capital, our guide to BWI airport car service from Annapolis still applies.

Choosing Between the Tunnels on a Given Day

There is no single right answer, because the better tunnel changes by the hour. A few patterns hold up over time:

• I-95 through the Fort McHenry Tunnel tends to be the steadier choice for through-trips along the corridor, but it absorbs heavy commuter volume in both peaks.
• I-895 through the Harbor Tunnel is often quicker between BWI and East Baltimore, Canton or Highlandtown, though its smaller size means a single incident can slow it sharply.
• The western Beltway is the fallback when both tunnels are jammed, and it is the only option for anyone hauling restricted cargo.
• Weekend and overnight closures for maintenance happen on both tunnels from time to time, sometimes reducing the crossing to fewer lanes. The MDTA publishes these in advance.

A live traffic app is the best tool for the final call, but it helps to know the alternatives before you start rather than discovering them at a backed-up approach ramp.

Building Buffer Into an Airport Trip

Since the collapse, the cost of guessing wrong is higher. If you live east of the harbor and have a morning flight from BWI, it is reasonable to add extra time beyond what the trip used to take, particularly on weekdays when commuter and freight traffic overlap. For international departures, where check-in and bag-drop cutoffs are firmer, a larger cushion is sensible.

Coming home is less stressful if someone else is watching the roads. Our chauffeurs track inbound flights, so a pickup adjusts to the actual landing time, and airport pickups include 45 minutes of complimentary wait for domestic flights and 60 minutes for international arrivals, timed from touchdown. From there, the chauffeur picks the crossing based on conditions at that moment rather than habit.

Tolls and E-ZPass

Both tunnels collect tolls electronically. Drivers with an E-ZPass transponder are charged automatically; drivers without one are billed by video toll through the mail at a higher rate. Visitors in rental cars should ask how the rental company handles tolls, since many add their own fees on top of the video toll. Current toll rates are published by the Maryland Transportation Authority. On a chauffeured trip, any tolls are disclosed with your flat rate before you confirm the booking, so there is nothing to sort out afterward.

What About the New Bridge?

The state is building a replacement for the Key Bridge, and the project's official updates are the place to follow its progress. Construction timelines on a project of this scale can move, so plan around the current two-tunnel reality rather than a projected opening date. When the new span opens, the hazmat detour and much of the tunnel pressure should ease, and the old shortcut between Dundalk and Pasadena will return.

Letting a Local Chauffeur Handle the Crossing

The harbor crossings are exactly the kind of local knowledge that pays off on an airport day. A chauffeur who drives these routes daily knows how each tunnel behaves at different hours, when the Beltway is worth the extra miles, and how to recover when an incident closes a lane. If you would rather not make that call yourself on the way to a flight, you can book your BWI transfer online or call 877-609-1919, any hour.