We don’t know much about Baltimore’s Key bridge collapse
Exposure of Baltimore to the Collapse of the Baltimore Beltway and the Baltimore Port, as Determined by William W. Washington’s Story Revealed
William Washington, who works at the cement board plant on the southern side of the bridge, said his work depended on a constant delivery of supplies. The scale of the disruption to the plant won’t be known until later on, but it will not be business as usual.
The collapse severs the southern stretch of Interstate 695, the portion of the Baltimore Beltway that runs through the heavily industrial areas around the port. On Tuesday, as I-695 closed around the bridge, the Maryland Transportation Authority was advising commuters to take one of the two tunnels that also span the harbor.
The American Trucking Associations says that there are 4,900 trucks that travel the bridge each day.
Newark or Long Beach are larger than the port of just a fraction of its size. But it plays an outsized role in auto imports and is economically significant to Maryland, in the densely populated Mid-Atlantic region.
It is not clear how long the Baltimore port will be shut down. A prolonged closure would have short-term effects on industries, as they adapt to the loss of the port. But it could have much more serious consequences for Baltimore, and Maryland more broadly.
Implications of the Baltimore port disaster for international shipping, as seen from a business professor’s perspective: “A bridge in the ocean,” says Tinglong Dai
The professor at the Carey Business School knows the bridge, he is called Tinglong Dai. He is able to see it from his window.
“It’s a very important bridge,” he says. It’s a part of an busy highway and has symbolic resonance. But he predicts that the economic impacts of the disaster will be relatively short-term and geographically limited.
Some auto manufacturers got lucky. Volkswagen and BMW both use a terminal by the entrance to Baltimore’s harbor, in a part of the port that is not blocked off, and expect no impact beyond short-term traffic snarls for trucks today.
But for those that need it, rerouting can be a challenge. Not every port can accept every ship, because of size constraints. There are special vessels that take skill to unload and they are often used to transport cars.
As companies look to find alternatives to the Baltimore port, Dai anticipates that the shutdown will cause delays for auto imports and exports.
Still, the timing isn’t good. Attacks in the Red Sea and drought in the Panama Canal have already complicated global shipping. A disaster that shuts down a American port so abruptly that six ships are trapped there adds to the disruptions.
Chris Rogers noted that Baltimore’s port handled 3% of imports along the east and Gulf coast.
He said in his research note that the bridge and cargo delays could be extensive. Some freight in containerized and bulk modes could possibly be diverted to nearby ports in Delaware and Pennsylvania.
“Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port, and we’re going to do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers,” he said in remarks Tuesday.
The port has also received big investments to allow it to handle larger ships and more containers, as well as cut the carbon emissions from its equipment.
State-owned terminals, managed by the Maryland Port Administration, and privately owned terminals in Baltimore transported a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo in 2023, worth $80 billion. The port has handled more cars than any other port in the US for the past 13 years.
Other materials transported in large volumes through the city’s port include coal, coffee and sugar. It was the ninth-busiest port in the nation last year for receiving foreign cargo, in terms of volume and value.
What we know and don’t know about Baltimore’s Key Bridge Collapse: Norwegian Cruise Line’s Dali ship, after it fell into the bridge, will resume recovery
Cruises departing from Baltimore will be disrupted by the bridge collapse. Norwegian Cruise Line last year began a new fall and winter schedule calling at the Port of Baltimore.
The construction workers fell into the river after the collision because they were fixing the potholes on the bridge. Two people had to be rescued with one in critical condition, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said.
There are six people that are not accounted for. The six people presumed to have died are presumed dead because of the amount of time that had elapsed since the collapse and the temperature of the water. They will resume recovery efforts Wednesday morning.
The ship, named the Dali and measuring nearly 1,000 feet, lost power as it began moving toward the bridge at about 8 knots, or 9.2 miles per hour. The may day issued by those onboard gave authorities time to stop traffic on the bridge.
The ship has had many previous checks. It damaged its hull when it hit a dock while leaving a port in Belgium. According to a maritime safety website, the ship had a problem withpulsion and auxiliary machinery last year.
Authorities have not yet given information about the captain and how the ship ended up moving toward the bridge. The National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI and state officials are investigating.
Baltimore’s Key Bridge was built in the 1970s but had a deep and patriotic history, according to its name, Francis Scott Key
The impact on the economy is unknown. The Port of Baltimore is home to about $80 billion worth of cargo each year. More than 15,000 jobs are created at the port with about 3.3 billion in personal income and six billion in business revenue according to the state.
The structure was built between 1972 and 1977, opening to the public on March 23 of that year. The history is much more than that, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.
Scholars believe it stood within 100 yards of the site where its namesake, Francis Scott Key, witnessed the failed British bombardment of Fort McHenry in September 1814.
The bombardment was a key turning point in the War of 1812, forcing the British to abandon the land assault on the crucial port city of Baltimore. The peace agreement was reached later that year.
The British warships fired over 5,000 exploding mortar shells, cannon balls and rockets at the fort for 25 hours, but inflicted little damage because the fort was so heavily fortified. The Americans raised their 30-by-42-foot garrison flag the next morning.
He was inspired to write “The Star-Spangled Banner” in 1931 because of the awe he felt when the flag was raised.
The ruins of Fort Carroll were created in 1848 to protect Baltimore from naval attacks, and are located just southeast of the bridge.
Construction of the fort itself was never completed, though the Preservation Alliance of Baltimore County says it featured impressive architecture like curved granite stairs and brick archways, and was originally home to 350 cannon ports, a blacksmith shop and a carpentry shop.
Source: Baltimore’s Key Bridge was built in the ’70s, but has a deep and patriotic history
Baltimore’s Key Bridge was built in the ’70s, but has a deep and patriotic history. An accident-prone bird sanctuary
Torrential rains flooded the island in 1864 and rendered it vulnerable, and it was used in the decades that followed to store mines, hold seamen and as a pistol range.
A Baltimore attorney purchased the island for $10,000 in 1958, but it was never developed and is now deserted. The island has become an accidental bird sanctuary because of the overgrown state of the island.
The only bridge in Baltimore’s Harbor that is not a tunnel is the bridge. It was constructed to alleviate traffic and provide a route for vehicles carrying hazardous materials, which are not allowed in the tunnels.
The project took more than five years to complete, and cost an estimated $110 million. When the bridge opened in 1977, it became the final link in Interstate 695, known locally as the Baltimore Beltway.
The council said that a boat that was sailing at 12 knots lost control off the bridge and went into the main pier at 6 knots. A protective concrete structure was destroyed.
Source: Baltimore’s Key Bridge was built in the ’70s, but has a deep and patriotic history
Bridge Reconstruction in Baltimore: How Much Will We Do? – The Mayor’s Brief Address at the Bridge Building Summit in Baltimore, Oct. 28, 2012
The officials’ focus on Tuesday was on searching for the six construction workers who fell into the water when the bridge collapsed. They said discussions about how to rebuild would come later.
It would require Congress’ support to fund the bridge reconstruction, which President Biden said he wants the federal government to fund.
“This is going to be a long process,” he said. “The people of Baltimore can count on us, though, to stick with them at every step of the way until the port is reopened and the bridge is rebuilt.”
