Watch Cranes Sail Under Bay Bridge, Key Bridge As They Travel Through Chesapeake: Video

MARYLAND — Three large cranes left the Port of Baltimore this weekend. A barge carried the oversized shipment out the Patapsco River and down the Chesapeake Bay.

The Maryland Transportation Authority temporarily closed the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay Bridge in Annapolis as the cranes sailed beneath.

Highway officials said the closures were necessary because such an unusual shipment could lead to distracted driving.

The passage was originally scheduled for Thursday, but it was pushed to Saturday.

Here is the video of the cranes sailing under the Key Bridge.

Here's the footage from the Bay Bridge.

Chesapeake Bay Magazine reported that a barge named Oceanus carried the load, which was about 404 feet wide and 162 feet tall.

The magazine said the cranes are heading through Cape Henry, Virginia and continuing on to their final destination of Tampa Bay, Florida.

The cranes had served the Seagirt Marine Terminal since it opened in 1990. Chesapeake Bay Magazine said the Port of Baltimore replaced them with four electric cranes that are each 450 feet tall.

The crane upgrades are part of a $166 million investment in the port. To learn more about the project, read Chesapeake Bay Magazine's full story at this link.