Enterprise reporter

Hayes Gardner

Hayes Gardner is an enterprise writer for The Baltimore Sun with a focus on the intersection of news and sports. He previously wrote for the Louisville Courier Journal, where he was part of a team named as 2021 Pulitzer Prize finalists. A Kentucky native, Hayes graduated from Grinnell College in Iowa and served as an AmeriCorps member in Oregon.

Westbound traffic crosses the Chesapeake Bay Bridge above the shipping channel. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)

Bay Bridge pier protection ‘deteriorated, detached and missing,’ according to inspection report obtained by The Sun

October 11, 2024 at 8:41 p.m.

In multiple locations on the eastbound span of the iconic Chesapeake Bay Bridge — the original of the structure’s two spans, which opened in 1952 — the “pier protection is...

Salvage efforts continue as workers make preparations to remove the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the container ship Dali weeks after the catastrophic collapse. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)

Did the Dali damage an important pipeline under the Key Bridge? Baltimore’s account has evolved

October 4, 2024 at 9:41 p.m.

Several feet below the mudline of the Patapsco River, underneath where the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed, sits a water main owned by the city of Baltimore.

A worker at Pimlico racetrack sweeps up at the empty viewing stands. Pimlico, home of the Preakness, closes on Sept. 1st for major renovations. (Amy Davis/Staff)

Clark Construction selected for preliminary Pimlico rebuild contract

October 2, 2024 at 6:44 p.m.

Clark Construction has been selected to complete the first stage of construction services for the rebuild of Pimlico Race Course, putting the company in the driver’s seat for the state-backed...

The Francis Scott Key Bridge hours after it collapsed after being struck by a ship in the early hours of March 26. (Karl Merton Ferron/Staff)

‘Feels like yesterday, feels like an eternity’: Reflecting on loss 6 months after Key Bridge tragedy

September 27, 2024 at 3:01 a.m.

“Feels like yesterday, feels like an eternity,” said Bruce Gartner, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority, which owned the bridge and is responsible for its rebuild.

The container ship Gudrun Maersk nears the Chesapeake Bay Bridge as it heads towards the Port of Baltimore in Nov. 2021. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)

Chesapeake Bay Bridge, Key Bridge among leaders for large ship traffic, Hopkins study shows

September 24, 2024 at 4:32 p.m.

New research counting transits by large ships under more than 200 U.S. bridges will help test a hypothesis that ship strikes are likelier than thought.

Chuck and JoAnn Anderika onboard their sailboat pass the Key Bridge wreckage through a temporary channel just opened to recreational boaters to enter or leave Baltimore's harbor. They are returning to their home marina Anchorage Marina. (Kenneth K. Lam/Staff)

Maryland sues cargo ship Dali’s owner over Key Bridge disaster on the last day to file suit

September 26, 2024 at 9:27 p.m.

Maryland seeks to hold the Dali's owner and manager “accountable for their reckless conduct, negligence, mismanagement, and incompetency.”

The naval vessel Denebola had steering issues just north of the Bay Bridge on Aug. 1, prompting a brief closure of the bridge to vehicle traffic. The ship then sailed safely under the bridge.

‘Stop traffic on the Bay Bridge right now’: Inside a ship’s steering issue and a rare bridge closure

September 23, 2024 at 9:32 a.m.

“I’m having steering issues. I need traffic stopped on the Bay Bridge immediately,” the pilot, Capt. John Kinlein, said.

Salvage efforts continue as workers make preparations to remove the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge from the container ship Dali five weeks after the catastrophic collapse. (Staff)

Dreams ‘destroyed’: Key Bridge collapse victims, including survivor, sue Dali companies

September 21, 2024 at 5:54 a.m.

The man who survived the Key Bridge collapse and the families of six who died sued the companies behind the cargo ship that felled the span.

The Orioles' Anthony Santander celebrates with teammates after hitting a walk-off, two-run home run during the ninth inning Thursday against the Giants at Camden Yards. (Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Orioles beat Giants, 5-3, on Anthony Santander’s walk-off homer to end losing streak

September 19, 2024 at 6:06 p.m.

Anthony Santander hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth Thursday, giving the Orioles a much-needed 5-3 win.

Apr 1, 2024: The container ship Dali is seen in the wreckage of Francis Scott Key Bridge almost a week after it hit a structural pier causing a subsequent bridge collapse.. (Jerry Jackson/Staff)

Department of Justice seeks over $100 million from Dali owners, calls Key Bridge collapse ‘entirely avoidable’

September 19, 2024 at 9:28 p.m.

Department of Justice files lawsuit against owners of cargo ship Dali, seeking over $100 million

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