Francis Scott Key Bridge was a Baltimore icon. How it compares with other US bridges.

The loss of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which crumbled into the Patapsco River early Tuesday after it was struck by the cargo ship Dali, is a tragedy that will continue to echo across the Baltimore area.

The body of two contractors who were working on the bridge at the time of the accident have been removed from the river. Four others are still missing. Officials say it could take months to remove the wreckage to reopen the Port of Baltimore and years to build a new bridge.

The tragedy has highlighted the bridge's history. In addition to being an engineering feat, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a landscape icon and part of Baltimore's image and heritage.

Nearly 30,000 commuters used the bridge every day, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. It was a familiar sight to travelers on land and on the river.

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"This is no ordinary bridge. This is one of the cathedrals of American infrastructure. It has been part of the skyline of this region for longer than many of us have been alive," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said at a news conference Tuesday.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge is one of many across the U.S. that have become part of the American landscape, synonymous with a region and its culture.

Its importance to the area can be considered through the lens of other famous bridges in the U.S. A few examples:

How bridge lengths compare

Construction on the Francis Scott Key Bridge, one of the longest truss bridges in the U.S., started in 1972. It opened on March 23, 1977. The cost was about $110 million. A cargo ship struck a support pier on the bridge in 1980 , but the ship was smaller than the Dali, the ship that collapsed the bridge Tuesday. Damage was relatively slight.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Francis Scott Key Bridge was a Baltimore icon. How it compares with other US bridges.