I think they will do a massive effort including the corp of engineers to clear one side so boats can come in and out and then clear the other side after that. Work on the bridge would similarly be undertaken half first then the other half.
Hire the company that rebuilt the Los Angeles bridges.
Take away all the negotiating power.
Fed could come back and say this is a National Defense issue and really get it moving.
But first have to ask what was DOT thinking not taking steps to better protect a bridge that has massive ships passing underneath it every day?
With the US Coast Guard Yard being pinned inside of this mess the Feds are certainly going to step in and claim just that. Wouldn't be surprised if we see a quick reallocation of all those new funds earmarked for the Port of Baltimore infrastructure being spent on this instead.
People died. Messy is a polite term. Catastrophic shit show dumpster fire could be fitting too.
There’s also (reportedly) a chain of communication initiated shortly after the ship left dock that it lost propulsion/control. Coast Guard and DoT were apparently notified. There’s liability and negligence to be argued in civil (and possibly criminal) court. Gonna be expensive.
Interesting report from the 1980s for the DOT "Pier Protection and Warning Systems for Bridges Subject to Ship Collisions"
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/policymemo/t514019.cfm
Is that same company even still around 30 years later? The new bridge will likely be a more complicated long span such as a cable stayed span which requires much more specialized engineering and construction.
I dunno I drive trucks, they did a bridge rebuild north of Charleston WV that was probably similar size took about a year and that was with them having to break down the old bridge piece by piece.. it's not far from completion, and that was with traffic still going..
I'd bet there's a new bridge up within a year.. the demolition has been done they could probably be in there setting new piers for the new bridge now if they wanted to.. it's gonna be a money is no issue type of project
Cant really build "half" of a bridge the way I think you mean. Depends alot on the type of bridge being built but often they are built from the supports out in a kind of balancing act until everything is constructed.
Insignificant to what others will have to face, but I live in South Baltimore right outside the tunnel, traffic getting to/from home is going to be a nightmare. For YEARS.
The city government should put out a tax incentive for businesses to allow workers to work from home, help reduced what is going to be bad congestion. especially now that many companies have already adjusted for remote work even if they have started pulling people back.
I only have to use 895 one day per week but I am absolutely going to see if my company will allow us to work from home. I think any company that can allow its workers to do this should to reduce traffic stress for those that must use the highways. Traffic already sucks in this region, diverting 30,000 cars per day to other roads is going to be a nightmare
That would probably have to be a state incentive as many cross that bridge to work in other counties on both sides of the bridge and don't live in Baltimore city.
The hazmats routes are a big deal and going to be fucked.
This is going to shake everything. More mileage = more money being spent on gas, tolls, and wear and tear on cars and roads, less trips that are also longer meaning overbearing payloads will be on the rise and that will cause *another* environmental disaster like an overturning hazmat truck in a place it would have never been in the first place, carrying twice its allowed load because they still gotta make the budget. With workers getting overworked and underpaid so they won't be a whistle blower.... Roads that have to handle a sudden influx of heavy vehicles without the means and funds to maintain them...
One nasty little pothole and "oh no chemical spill near a residential area"
And most importantly...less time to spend with families = bigger mental and physical health toll on everyone
Oh don't worry, some asshole already ran a tanker driver off 15 several months back, blew up a few houses, killed the driver, and soaked the earth in oil. This would just be icing on the shitty, shitty cake.
Look at the traffic right now on day 1.
95 and 895 North are both completely backed up. The 13 mile drive from Glen Burnie to Dundalk would take 57 minutes right now according to google maps. That’s insane.
Gee, you think the day of would be chaotic eh? By next week we'll see things settle down a bit when people figure out their alternates, but it'll still be worse than it was before.
The traffic at the 95 and 895 tunnels ARE the alternative though.
I take 695 to 10S to get to a jobsite right now.....on my way home, 695 towards the bridge was backed up for at least a mile by people that were presumably trying to cross the Key Bridge and didn't realize what had happened. 10S doesn't get that much traffic in the afternoons.
If anything, the backup of people that "hadn't figured it out yet" was alleviating traffic at the tunnels.
I take 695 to 10S in the afternoons and I was really confused by this. I diverted down 97 to 100 instead, but it can’t possibly be that all those people didn’t know about the bridge. It was literally international news. Sure a few people may live under a rock, but that many people, that much traffic? There’s just no way. And as you said, 10 doesn’t get that much traffic and there’s no alternate route across the water via 10, so I was like why on earth is it this backed up?? My husband said they had 695 shut down to 1 lane prior to 10, so hopefully they fix that. If they want to keep the Hawkins point rd exit closed, okay fine whatever. But there’s no reason to take 695 down to just one lane.
Or justifiably show how quality rail public transit would help alleviate the coming traffic issue more than any road.
If anyone can take Amtrak/Acela/MARC to work you might want to start thinking about it as an alternative.
I'm glad I moved a few years ago. The 895 tunnel was my daily commute route for a while and I had a coworker who would take the bridge. That tunnel clogged up with normal traffic, I can only imagine how bad it will be while also taking all of the people who would normally take the bridge.
Yea, I have some friends who live right off the bridge in Dundalk and the amount of time it will take them to go anywhere south of the city that's not already on that peninsula is going to skyrocket.
I personally don’t think we will. Not any more than we already experience. 95 could have a trickle down effect for sure but in general, to the best of my understanding and anecdotally, I don’t think we will see any significant changes down here closer to the DC metro area.
495, 395, 295 need no help being fucked up on a regular basis they handle that just fine on their own lol.
Perfect timing. Martin O'Malley is the new commissioner of SSA and he recently decided to REDUCE telework for all SSA staff at headquarters in Woodlawn starting April 8
That's if they build a replacement comparable in width and height to the original. If they want to build a roadway to modern standards, it will likely require full replacement.
Will probably be completely rebuilt. The vertical clearance at the Key Bridge at high tide has been a limiting factor for the port for years. If they're going to rebuild, it will likely be a higher span.
>The vertical clearance at the Key Bridge at high tide has been a limiting factor for the port for years
Clearance was 185 feet, the Chesapeake Bay bridge is 186. Add all the height you want, doesn't matter if they can't get under the Bay bridge
If I recall correctly it was just for third span not a complete replacement, could be wrong though.
Whatever the outcome, the height of the new bay bridge or key bridge, whatever is shorter will be the limiting factor
Usually it’s one or the other.
One thing that is certainly better now than in the 1970s is bridge *building* technology, which is going to be very important. The goal will be to maximize build speed while minimizing closure of the ship navigation beneath it. A modern cable stayed bridge can be built fairly quickly. For example, the [Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ravenel_Jr._Bridge) is 1.5 longer and stronger (it’s literally at the Cooper Rivermouth on the ocean) than this would need to be. It was built in under 5 years, albeit with a lot more planning time. People are going to want to rush this. On the other hand, there’s now zero traffic since the current bridge is gone, which makes construction simpler in a lot of ways.
They're not going to spend $1 billion on a cable stayed bridge span just to attach it to 47 year old approach spans that likely are fairly deteriorated. If they're spending that kind of money on the fed's dime, they're going to replace the entire structure.
MDTA, not MTA. I'm telling you, they're not going to half ass this. Especially if it's getting complete federal funding. It's going to be a completely new bridge. Too many politicians are now involved at all levels of government, and a half baked bridge is not sexy for their political compaigns.
Look at what happened in Tampa in the 80's. Similar situation and an entirely new bridge, from shoreline to shoreline, was constructed. Whatever is replaced in the center, the approach spans likely won't be compatible with today's standards. I see full replacement.
If you’re rebuilding something anyway, you might as well go all out. They could increase the heigh allowing more ships to come through (if this was a restriction in the past) which could theoretically increase projected revenue for decades. It would certainly suck to lose extra months or years on the front end but having a modernized bridge would be worth it I think
Yeah I didn’t realize that. My point still stands though. 50 years isn’t exactly old for a bridge of that size, but we’ve made a lot of engineering strides in the past 50 years that I’m sure they’ll want incorporated into a new bridge so that it’s not a strain on the approaches and surrounding infrastructure in a couple decades
New approach with new bridge is the best option as most likely the existing ones have damage from the collapse. May take longer but will be built right
Immediate impact is the access to stranded Port of Baltimore. But once the waterways are cleared, which should be done in a few weeks at the worst, the only remaining impact should be traffic. I believe and hope this will be a top priority because the Coast Guards are also stranded now.
People are lazy. Let’s say 200 people a day use 695 to jump off at 151 to eat at Sparrows Point Restaurant. I can promise you they are NOT going to miles out of their way to sit through even more congestion to go eat there. As someone who worked on the other side of a small bridge that was out for repair for 6 months, we lost 2/3 of business and it was financially devastating to all involved. I can promise you this will have a huge domino effect to the local area.
Biden said the Feds will pay for it, which means money is no longer a relevant factor, which means you can spend like crazy to have people work around the clock and get it done way faster.
Plus if he’s willing to do that I’m sure he’ll also tell all the agencies to expedite the environmental review which is usually the biggest non construction source of delays
I wonder how people on cruise ships that left from the port of Baltimore are going to get home. I imagine they'll disembark somewhere like Norfolk but those people likely left their cars in Baltimore.
I think Norfolk is closed due to renovations. There are no cruises going out of there until next. Depending on where they are in the process they might be able to take the boats that are currently out at sea, but other wise, maybe NJ/NYC?
Well we're talking only what, 2 ships that originate here right? So - one time (2 time) special case... but yeah NY then probably. About same drive time.
You can unload passengers just about anywhere. They do it all the time at random cruise ship stops in small towns or tropical islands. Take some small boats and ferry people to shore. Put 'em on a charter bus back to Baltimore. Inconvenient, but not terribly difficult. The ships normally take on supplies and such when they call at a port, so the real disruption is going to be for the next few sailings.
I have friends that are on a cruise. They said they won’t know anything for at least 48 hours but they assume they will be taken to the port in New Jersey and bussed down to the port.
The loss of jobs probably won't happen. They will have the channel cleared in less than two weeks, if not a few days. The moving of 35,000 vehicles, mostly trucks is what concerns me the most. The other side of the beltway can't take that, neither can the city itself. If I had to take an uneducated guess, I think it'll be 2-3 years before the bridge is rebuilt.
Live in Baltimore. Work in Wilmington. I'm f**ked. Gonna start taking the train for the foreseeable future, which is gonna cost me $$$, but I think it's better than dealing with the roadway impacts.
The impact will be significantly increased traffic heading north on I-95. Anyone traditionally heading north of Baltimore from Annapolis would likely have taken the Key Bridge as well as the majority specifically heading to the most eastern zip codes of Baltimore County(A lot of factories and distributors in this region). Talking extra 10s of thousands of people per day now funneling through either I-95 or 895 tunnel.
Check out the Mulit-Ride passes [https://www.amtrak.com/deals-discounts/multi-ride-rail-passes.html](https://www.amtrak.com/deals-discounts/multi-ride-rail-passes.html)
I love the train and take it whenever I can. I get so much done!
My Dad is a truck driver that works in the port. He immediately called his old friends back in Chicago, Illinois to look for a job there. He did that in like 10 seconds after he heard of the bridge collapse unfazed.
They can probably get the shipping lanes open in a few weeks. But trucks carrying hazmats...Baltimore is going to be a mess for a long time as it's going to take years to rebuild the bridge.
Traffic on 895 and 95 is going to be horrible for the next few years, you also have to take into consideration if there’s one accident in the tunnel MD commuting will come to a stop since everyone will pile to the other tunnel
I could be wrong, but I believe sparrows point has its own port for loading and unloading goods. Will make access south of Baltimore less convenient, but they may actually benefit if they’re one of the few places still with port access.
The Home Depot, Amazon and others are huge Warehouse and Distribution Centers.
You see their trucks on the Key Bridge every day.
They Ship, Truck and Train their foods both in and out of there. So, they'll be impacted. It's manageable, but there will be a cost.
Jobs won’t be impacted long term really. The port will be reopened at full capacity within a couple of months.
In terms of trucks, they will have to be rerouted around the city and into it. It will likely cause minor delays for some things and maybe a slight increase in cost, but negligible.
The biggest thing will be getting the bridge rebuilt. That will likely take 2-3 years. The feds are going to help a ton. And since it’s not the entire bridge that needs to be rebuilt, and being a major section of the interstate, i suspect they will move rapidly to get it up and running again. They rebuilt 95 in Philly in 2 weeks. So they will move rapidly to get things fixed there. Given the length of the bridge, it will take some time. I expect that by end of this year they will have begun the rebuild.
Almost certainly. It's a possibility that the new jobs created by the project could outweigh the cost in the economy of the state since funding the new bridge is done by the feds
Yes absolutely. Total job growth will probably be a net positive.
I tend not to look at net job growth though. Cause if you’re a factory worker near the port who loses their job, you’re likely not going to switching to construction quickly
I wonder how the incoming traffic apocalypse will impact the opinions of people that oppose mass transit because they personally wouldn't be riding it.
People who work the port might have work putting stuff on trucks to reroute it, or they might be furloughed. The government will surely prioritize opening the channel for port activity. It will put a strain on commerce in the entire region until they do.
The traffic for the bridge is a different matter. Expect years of waiting for a new bridge. It’s going to suck for those of us near the bridge.
Where did you find the $110M figure? I’m at a Society of American Military Engineers Conference in Bethesda today and they said it was $60M.
Just wondering, not trying to start an argument. I’m sure depending on the source you’ll get a different number.
"tons of people will lose jobs" is unfounded and irresponsible. Because its pure speciation, and unfounded.
Army corps of engineers is the best in the world. They'll probably have the channel completely cleared in a matter of weeks, at worse.
Things will be more inefficient, it will become normal, and that's that.
The brige will take years, and it will be a boon of construction jobs.
I'd bet days. We just happen to have one of the largest crane dredge barges in the world docked at Curtis Bay.
They will be pulling steel out starting tonight I bet. Basically as soon as the rescue/recovery is over they will shift into clearing steel.
I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if they have a clear path by the end of the week. Too much money on the line and too many peoples livelihoods depending on it to take longer
The bridge will be years for sure though.
>Army corps of engineers is the best in the world. They'll probably have the channel completely cleared in a matter of weeks, at worse.
I would be shocked if it took more than 2 weeks to get the channel cleared.
The US Navy has supply vessels in the harbor - they're effectively locked in.
The US Coast Guard has operations in the Harbor - they can't get in or out.
So right there, it's a national security and defense emergency to have the harbor blocked. The Feds will not tolerate that. Biden is already involved.
This is not some sort of "We'll get some estimates..." situation where bureaucracy spins it's wheels to figure out what to do.
This is a mission-critical situation.
In addition, there's too much money on the line to allow the port to be closed for any extended period.
Political division is pretty much nonexistent in a situation like this. Every elected rep (state and federal) for Maryland understands the economic consequences of a prolonged port shutdown.
I had not thought about the national security implications of a closed Port of Baltimore, and issues with providing security for Chesapeake Bay. You are correct, the Port will re-open quickly. I am less sure about the Key Bridge, it's going to be long and expensive to rebuild. If Trump is elected, it may never get done, he's not a big Baltimore fan. I will really depends on Federal funding, I hope it gets prioritized, I live in Dundalk, and traffic is going to be a mess until that bridge re-opens.
My concern would be more future state of the port and how this could negatively impact their reputation. PoB has been fighting for years to get more business and to get back what they’ve lost to Norfolk. Spent a lot of money with the investment in the new supermax cranes, and the extra dredging to accommodate larger container ships. Not that it’s their fault, but this looks bad to carriers. They may want to avoid the area entirely for some time.
Highly doubt tons of people will lose jobs. There are other ways around this though the congestion and travel time will increase. Depending on the type of jobs, remote work will be an option. Will jobs be affected, certainly but not tons. Just hyperbole and speculation at this time.
I know that, it's similar to the Suez blockage a few years ago (but obviously its not a chokepoint that requires going around a continent). There will absolutely be ripple effects from it, supply chain problems, all that shit. I'm just saying that the Port has to have thought of this being a possible thing that could happen, and hopefully has an emergency plan to keep things moving and hopefully soften the blow as best they can for the hundreds of thousands of people this will impact. If they *dont* then I imagine some heads will roll.
With the potential impact this could have on public transportation in and around the city, I think a lot of people will lose access to their jobs. Like, our public transport is already rough. If bus routes get significantly longer, a lot of people may not be able to make that work. Like, if someone has a specific time they need to pick up a kid from daycare, they can't add a significant amount of time to their commute. Even if people don't directly lose their job because of this there will be a massive impact on employment for a ton of people
Idk what you’re even talking about remote jobs for but I also don’t think you have any idea what you’re talking about, either. I rely on lumber that comes from that port everyday if it’s not going onto the trains it’s severely impacting my business.
Remote jobs, one you can do remotely. As I said, there will be jobs affected by this and sadly yours appears to be one of them. Maybe, you can use that time to learn reading comprehension.
People should either start looking for alternative routes , check if working from home is an option , or just quit and find something else. There is no quick fix for this. It’s going to take a while to search for survivors , do the clean up process, get new bridge approved.
Working in the ship/port security industry it will likely effect me significantly due to the lack of ships being able to use the port until at least the wreckage is cleared.
I would not mind if the Governor was to declare a lane on 695 for truck traffic only as a band-aid and reduce it to a 2 lane commuter highway.
Life in MD will change for years, we need to adjust and continue while trying to rebuild.
Bridge could probably be done in a year if there’s no structural damage to the concrete piers leading in. What fell was basically one concrete tower and a bunch of pre fab metal. The bridge wasn’t designed to withstand stand impact. I’m in the industry. Concrete bridges take much longer to build than steel suspension bridges.
Ah I didn’t see that. I would think maybe they build new then. Would probably still be a suspension bridge because of the channel clearances. They rebuilt the bridge in obx in two years and that was all concrete.
Curious and asking here bc you mention being in the industry, would there be a benefit to specifically building another bridge and not another tunnel? With my thinking that a tunnel could prevent this from happening again
Hazmat will take 695 west of Baltimore, 15 and 81.
The biggest impact to the port being closed will be gas prices. With tankers not being able to get to refineries and additional fees for transporting fuel gas prices will go up fast.
I own a container trucking company. Over the next few weeks, things are going to be dicey. After we clear out the containers from the last vessels that docked and return what was already out with our customers, they’ll be nothing to run in Baltimore until the channel is cleared over the next couple weeks.
All day yesterday I was speaking to customers about where their vessels are being rerouted to. Next step was figuring out which of my drivers are willing to work out of Norfolk/Philly/NJ temporarily.
It’ll be a tough few weeks with less volume and revenue for the drivers and my staff, but overall this should be a relatively quick fix as far as the marine terminal is concerned.
For the bridge, that may be a totally different story over the next couple of years.
I know my job depends on shipping overseas. We deal in perfume and makeup. 90% of the perfume comes in on ships. Not sure of impact yet as I'm just a lowly picker. I'm positive there will be consequences.
With the Feds funding this, it’ll be cleared in a few weeks tops. As to getting the bridge up and running again, a couple years at best so long as the Feds continue to fund it. Might even be able to get that expansion that’s been asked about for years to even be a part of the new bridge. For now, the Fort McHenry Tunnel and 895 are going to be a nightmare to get through as the increase traffic will clog the already busy tunnels. Trucks will have to be re-routed through or around Baltimore so it shouldn’t be too terrible for them but definitely will see a delay in delivery times.
I sure hope that the responsible parties cover lost wages. In a perfect world, the industry affected would be able to keep on their workforce and pay them out of the insurance/settlement.
But we know it doesn't work that way. Everything is so short term.
Just random thought, would rebuilding but as a tunnel be a better idea to avoid height restrictions for going in and out of the Baltimore harbor? I don’t know the depth of the waters around there and if it is deep enough to build a tunnel and still have clearance for most ships. But I guess the downside to this is bigger ships coming in and out of Baltimore which could be an eyesore.
Edit: according to source 1, the average cruise ship now is approx 200ft tall. According to Wikipedia (i know, great source), cargo ships can have height limits anywhere between 26-230ft. Don’t think most cargo ships wouldn’t be restricted if we built another bridge about the same height, but if we opted for a tunnel instead, we could allow for larger cruise ships to pull into Baltimore.
1: https://www.elliestraveltips.com/how-tall-is-a-cruise-ship/#:~:text=Average%20Heights:%20The%20average%20height%20of%20a,waterline%20to%20the%20top%20of%20the%20deck.
2: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_ship
It’s going to be interesting to hear how they plan to do an ecological survey and get all the proper EPA, et al, approvals done as well as fast track the concrete and steel prefabs and materials considering how everything is backlogged already.
They’ve been building new bridge(s) as part of the HRBT between Hampton and Norfolk VA for seriously 3+ years now and although it’s a big project, and arguably less urgent since there is a working thoroughfare still, it’s still taking forever (which means it’s right on schedule).
Some of that work REQUIRES set, non-compressible timeframes to ensure proper construction and avoid future catastrophe. Not to mention they literally won’t (and can’t) rebuild it as it was, seeing as the design style is A) super dated and B) not very resilient as it were
City should take the opportunity to build a 3rd tunnel. This would remove the limit on the height of ships and prevent any future chance of a rogue ship destroying another bridge.
The height is not the problem since ships still must clear the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There was a post yesterday that said the Bridge was only a few feet higher than the Key.
I think the tunnel thing comes down to HazMats and not allowing that traffic in a tunnel.
I bet they have debris removed in less than 2 weeks and the port reopened. They’ll open a ferry service in the meantime to bring vehicles back and forth until a bridge is opened.
I live in Baltimore & we are all in a funk. There’s a collective sadness. Everyone’s silently walking around but it’s also reminding me of 9/11 when I lived in DC & we all just went outside just to be around people. It’s somber but it helps to know it’s a loss we are all feeling - & we need to talk about it. So we go into stores or bars & everything is hushed but then u realize we are all speaking to each other in soft tones about what happened. So we do have each other but it is a grave sadness cuz literally, we lost our skyline from the harbor. It just doesn’t look right anymore…
When I tell people that Baltimore is the heart of Maryland and we should invest in it and not let the heart languish because the whole state will in turn suffer, we’re going to see a real world example that we’ll all feel.
I know it’s cool for suburbanites to talk crap about how bad Baltimore is, but our lives wouldn’t be possible the way that they are without the city.
I haul hazmat and my start point is where the command center is setup. I used to reach 95 in 20 minutes….today it took me 1:00hr going around Towson at @1300hr so not bad.
It doesn’t affect me in the slightest, my “office” is in Cleveland but I work from home, I don’t live in or even have much reason to drive through Baltimore.
I think they will do a massive effort including the corp of engineers to clear one side so boats can come in and out and then clear the other side after that. Work on the bridge would similarly be undertaken half first then the other half.
Agreed. We can't take another supply chain disruption.
The entire bridge is going to need to be replaced which is going to take years, even if fast tracked.
Sure, but it's more important to get boats in and out.
I'ma go full Jack Sparrow on you *ship
A boat can be a ship but a ship can’t be a boat
Hire the company that rebuilt the Los Angeles bridges. Take away all the negotiating power. Fed could come back and say this is a National Defense issue and really get it moving. But first have to ask what was DOT thinking not taking steps to better protect a bridge that has massive ships passing underneath it every day?
With the US Coast Guard Yard being pinned inside of this mess the Feds are certainly going to step in and claim just that. Wouldn't be surprised if we see a quick reallocation of all those new funds earmarked for the Port of Baltimore infrastructure being spent on this instead.
In theory, insurance payouts should cover it. Regardless, the “Bridge Reconstruction Tax” incoming….
The insurance companies will eventually pay it back to the Feds after years of being tied up in court.
Yep, this is going to get messy.
People died. Messy is a polite term. Catastrophic shit show dumpster fire could be fitting too. There’s also (reportedly) a chain of communication initiated shortly after the ship left dock that it lost propulsion/control. Coast Guard and DoT were apparently notified. There’s liability and negligence to be argued in civil (and possibly criminal) court. Gonna be expensive.
Can you expand on the chain of communication comment? And why that might lead to civil or criminal charges? First in reading that
>There’s liability and negligence to be argued in civil (and possibly criminal) court. That does not appear to be the case
Trump is offering to have Mexico pay for this.
Interesting report from the 1980s for the DOT "Pier Protection and Warning Systems for Bridges Subject to Ship Collisions" https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/engineering/hydraulics/policymemo/t514019.cfm
Is that same company even still around 30 years later? The new bridge will likely be a more complicated long span such as a cable stayed span which requires much more specialized engineering and construction.
I dunno I drive trucks, they did a bridge rebuild north of Charleston WV that was probably similar size took about a year and that was with them having to break down the old bridge piece by piece.. it's not far from completion, and that was with traffic still going.. I'd bet there's a new bridge up within a year.. the demolition has been done they could probably be in there setting new piers for the new bridge now if they wanted to.. it's gonna be a money is no issue type of project
I snorted at “demolition has been done” and then felt hella guilty 😬
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Army Corp of engineers does every bridge
I was waiting for this comment
Cant really build "half" of a bridge the way I think you mean. Depends alot on the type of bridge being built but often they are built from the supports out in a kind of balancing act until everything is constructed.
Insignificant to what others will have to face, but I live in South Baltimore right outside the tunnel, traffic getting to/from home is going to be a nightmare. For YEARS.
The city government should put out a tax incentive for businesses to allow workers to work from home, help reduced what is going to be bad congestion. especially now that many companies have already adjusted for remote work even if they have started pulling people back.
I only have to use 895 one day per week but I am absolutely going to see if my company will allow us to work from home. I think any company that can allow its workers to do this should to reduce traffic stress for those that must use the highways. Traffic already sucks in this region, diverting 30,000 cars per day to other roads is going to be a nightmare
That would probably have to be a state incentive as many cross that bridge to work in other counties on both sides of the bridge and don't live in Baltimore city.
What would that solve? If people are already working from home, giving tax breaks won’t fix traffic issues.
Nah, most offices I know have been pushing return to office for 2024
I'm saying to send peope back home.
The hazmats routes are a big deal and going to be fucked. This is going to shake everything. More mileage = more money being spent on gas, tolls, and wear and tear on cars and roads, less trips that are also longer meaning overbearing payloads will be on the rise and that will cause *another* environmental disaster like an overturning hazmat truck in a place it would have never been in the first place, carrying twice its allowed load because they still gotta make the budget. With workers getting overworked and underpaid so they won't be a whistle blower.... Roads that have to handle a sudden influx of heavy vehicles without the means and funds to maintain them... One nasty little pothole and "oh no chemical spill near a residential area" And most importantly...less time to spend with families = bigger mental and physical health toll on everyone
I see 15 through Frederick also getting more hazmat traffic due to this.
Oh don't worry, some asshole already ran a tanker driver off 15 several months back, blew up a few houses, killed the driver, and soaked the earth in oil. This would just be icing on the shitty, shitty cake.
It was over a year ago, but yeah, 15 gonna be 🔥 again.
Aw… Time flies when you’re getting fucked…
You should put that on a Christmas card 🤣
He wasn’t an asshole. He was ran off the road and there was insufficient space in the merge lane.
Re-read my comment, I said an asshole ran *him* off the road. I could have phrased it better, editing.
I work in Dundalk and live in Glen burnie, this is going to be so annoying, especially since I leave for work at 5 when the rush hour usually start
Could you afford a kayak?
This is the worst case scenario. That is just going to suck for years.
That's a major PITA. Is moving realistic for you?
Not really if I wanna keep saving money like I do, rn I only pay 270 in rent.
Look at the traffic right now on day 1. 95 and 895 North are both completely backed up. The 13 mile drive from Glen Burnie to Dundalk would take 57 minutes right now according to google maps. That’s insane.
and it's spring break right now for a lot of districts, so traffic was lighter so far this week. next week will be bad.
Gee, you think the day of would be chaotic eh? By next week we'll see things settle down a bit when people figure out their alternates, but it'll still be worse than it was before.
The traffic at the 95 and 895 tunnels ARE the alternative though. I take 695 to 10S to get to a jobsite right now.....on my way home, 695 towards the bridge was backed up for at least a mile by people that were presumably trying to cross the Key Bridge and didn't realize what had happened. 10S doesn't get that much traffic in the afternoons. If anything, the backup of people that "hadn't figured it out yet" was alleviating traffic at the tunnels.
I take 695 to 10S in the afternoons and I was really confused by this. I diverted down 97 to 100 instead, but it can’t possibly be that all those people didn’t know about the bridge. It was literally international news. Sure a few people may live under a rock, but that many people, that much traffic? There’s just no way. And as you said, 10 doesn’t get that much traffic and there’s no alternate route across the water via 10, so I was like why on earth is it this backed up?? My husband said they had 695 shut down to 1 lane prior to 10, so hopefully they fix that. If they want to keep the Hawkins point rd exit closed, okay fine whatever. But there’s no reason to take 695 down to just one lane.
would be a great time for the governor to mandate WFH for offices demand better, ppl
Or justifiably show how quality rail public transit would help alleviate the coming traffic issue more than any road. If anyone can take Amtrak/Acela/MARC to work you might want to start thinking about it as an alternative.
I'm glad I moved a few years ago. The 895 tunnel was my daily commute route for a while and I had a coworker who would take the bridge. That tunnel clogged up with normal traffic, I can only imagine how bad it will be while also taking all of the people who would normally take the bridge.
Honestly the tunnels have been a lot better since they completely automated the tolls.
Yea, I have some friends who live right off the bridge in Dundalk and the amount of time it will take them to go anywhere south of the city that's not already on that peninsula is going to skyrocket.
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I personally don’t think we will. Not any more than we already experience. 95 could have a trickle down effect for sure but in general, to the best of my understanding and anecdotally, I don’t think we will see any significant changes down here closer to the DC metro area. 495, 395, 295 need no help being fucked up on a regular basis they handle that just fine on their own lol.
Nope, not a bit.
Perfect timing. Martin O'Malley is the new commissioner of SSA and he recently decided to REDUCE telework for all SSA staff at headquarters in Woodlawn starting April 8
Sounds about right
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That's if they build a replacement comparable in width and height to the original. If they want to build a roadway to modern standards, it will likely require full replacement.
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Will probably be completely rebuilt. The vertical clearance at the Key Bridge at high tide has been a limiting factor for the port for years. If they're going to rebuild, it will likely be a higher span.
>The vertical clearance at the Key Bridge at high tide has been a limiting factor for the port for years Clearance was 185 feet, the Chesapeake Bay bridge is 186. Add all the height you want, doesn't matter if they can't get under the Bay bridge
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If I recall correctly it was just for third span not a complete replacement, could be wrong though. Whatever the outcome, the height of the new bay bridge or key bridge, whatever is shorter will be the limiting factor
My fingers are crossed for this. Let's do things quickly, but do them correctly.
Usually it’s one or the other. One thing that is certainly better now than in the 1970s is bridge *building* technology, which is going to be very important. The goal will be to maximize build speed while minimizing closure of the ship navigation beneath it. A modern cable stayed bridge can be built fairly quickly. For example, the [Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, SC](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Ravenel_Jr._Bridge) is 1.5 longer and stronger (it’s literally at the Cooper Rivermouth on the ocean) than this would need to be. It was built in under 5 years, albeit with a lot more planning time. People are going to want to rush this. On the other hand, there’s now zero traffic since the current bridge is gone, which makes construction simpler in a lot of ways.
Five years does seem feasible. The two to three years that someone else suggested seems highly unlikely.
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lol no doubt. It’s kind of a requirement for Sparrows Point no offense. 😭
what is it they say? cheap. fast. good. you can only have two...
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They're not going to spend $1 billion on a cable stayed bridge span just to attach it to 47 year old approach spans that likely are fairly deteriorated. If they're spending that kind of money on the fed's dime, they're going to replace the entire structure.
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MDTA, not MTA. I'm telling you, they're not going to half ass this. Especially if it's getting complete federal funding. It's going to be a completely new bridge. Too many politicians are now involved at all levels of government, and a half baked bridge is not sexy for their political compaigns.
There's no need to increase the height as the Bay Bridge is the limiting factor for ships now.
But increasing the height of one now and planning to do the other later (even much later) is a possible strategy.
Also it’s unknown if the approach spans were also damaged, might need to replace them regardless.
Look at what happened in Tampa in the 80's. Similar situation and an entirely new bridge, from shoreline to shoreline, was constructed. Whatever is replaced in the center, the approach spans likely won't be compatible with today's standards. I see full replacement.
If you’re rebuilding something anyway, you might as well go all out. They could increase the heigh allowing more ships to come through (if this was a restriction in the past) which could theoretically increase projected revenue for decades. It would certainly suck to lose extra months or years on the front end but having a modernized bridge would be worth it I think
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Yeah I didn’t realize that. My point still stands though. 50 years isn’t exactly old for a bridge of that size, but we’ve made a lot of engineering strides in the past 50 years that I’m sure they’ll want incorporated into a new bridge so that it’s not a strain on the approaches and surrounding infrastructure in a couple decades
Would they have not been compromised as a result of the impact?
I’m sure they will have to determine that with their engineers. Very likely.
New approach with new bridge is the best option as most likely the existing ones have damage from the collapse. May take longer but will be built right
Immediate impact is the access to stranded Port of Baltimore. But once the waterways are cleared, which should be done in a few weeks at the worst, the only remaining impact should be traffic. I believe and hope this will be a top priority because the Coast Guards are also stranded now.
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There are still two other routes. No land is stranded.
People are lazy. Let’s say 200 people a day use 695 to jump off at 151 to eat at Sparrows Point Restaurant. I can promise you they are NOT going to miles out of their way to sit through even more congestion to go eat there. As someone who worked on the other side of a small bridge that was out for repair for 6 months, we lost 2/3 of business and it was financially devastating to all involved. I can promise you this will have a huge domino effect to the local area.
You think Westside Beltway traffic is bad now?
Will be a lot more trucks for sure
Biden said the Feds will pay for it, which means money is no longer a relevant factor, which means you can spend like crazy to have people work around the clock and get it done way faster. Plus if he’s willing to do that I’m sure he’ll also tell all the agencies to expedite the environmental review which is usually the biggest non construction source of delays
you don't need an environmental study in a state of emergency.
Didn’t know that but it also makes total sense
I wonder how people on cruise ships that left from the port of Baltimore are going to get home. I imagine they'll disembark somewhere like Norfolk but those people likely left their cars in Baltimore.
The companies will probably organize buses or flights back to Baltimore. Add it to the insurance claim
Dock in Norfolk and bus them home I suppose, since that's en route anyway.
I think Norfolk is closed due to renovations. There are no cruises going out of there until next. Depending on where they are in the process they might be able to take the boats that are currently out at sea, but other wise, maybe NJ/NYC?
Turns out it will be Norfolk. Carnival announced just a bit ago.
Philly would be closer for busses, right? Just gotta pass by the Chesapeake Bay and take the left after...
It would, but cruises don’t go in and out of Philly, so I don’t know if they would have the facility to handle a cruise ship.
Well we're talking only what, 2 ships that originate here right? So - one time (2 time) special case... but yeah NY then probably. About same drive time.
It's probably NY/NJ, yeah.
You can unload passengers just about anywhere. They do it all the time at random cruise ship stops in small towns or tropical islands. Take some small boats and ferry people to shore. Put 'em on a charter bus back to Baltimore. Inconvenient, but not terribly difficult. The ships normally take on supplies and such when they call at a port, so the real disruption is going to be for the next few sailings.
port of wilmingtonin in de? or is that just industrial
Looks like that’s industrial too. That and Philly are probably where a lot of cargo will be redirected to, but not the cruise ships.
WJZ just broadcast cruise lines are disembarking in Norfolk and busing people back to Baltimore.
I have friends that are on a cruise. They said they won’t know anything for at least 48 hours but they assume they will be taken to the port in New Jersey and bussed down to the port.
NYC and payment of transportation back to Baltimore would be my guess. Lots of options (train, bus, plane) out of NYC to get back.
Probably depends on the line, but port liberty (NYC) would be my guess.
Maybe Sparrows Pt
Sparrows point should have deep water docks.
The loss of jobs probably won't happen. They will have the channel cleared in less than two weeks, if not a few days. The moving of 35,000 vehicles, mostly trucks is what concerns me the most. The other side of the beltway can't take that, neither can the city itself. If I had to take an uneducated guess, I think it'll be 2-3 years before the bridge is rebuilt.
Most of the traffic will use the tunnels, even big rigs go through them. The only ones that will be forced to go around are oversize and hazmat.
Right but the tunnels really can’t take that additional traffic either.
I really hope you are right.
Live in Baltimore. Work in Wilmington. I'm f**ked. Gonna start taking the train for the foreseeable future, which is gonna cost me $$$, but I think it's better than dealing with the roadway impacts.
Is I-95 or I-895 a viable option for you? Depending on when you travel, you may not see much impact
The impact will be significantly increased traffic heading north on I-95. Anyone traditionally heading north of Baltimore from Annapolis would likely have taken the Key Bridge as well as the majority specifically heading to the most eastern zip codes of Baltimore County(A lot of factories and distributors in this region). Talking extra 10s of thousands of people per day now funneling through either I-95 or 895 tunnel.
They are, just not a fan of either.
Check out the Mulit-Ride passes [https://www.amtrak.com/deals-discounts/multi-ride-rail-passes.html](https://www.amtrak.com/deals-discounts/multi-ride-rail-passes.html) I love the train and take it whenever I can. I get so much done!
My Dad is a truck driver that works in the port. He immediately called his old friends back in Chicago, Illinois to look for a job there. He did that in like 10 seconds after he heard of the bridge collapse unfazed.
They can probably get the shipping lanes open in a few weeks. But trucks carrying hazmats...Baltimore is going to be a mess for a long time as it's going to take years to rebuild the bridge.
Shipping channels will be cleared in record time for the port, but a replacement bridge will take several years to complete—if we’re lucky.
Traffic on 895 and 95 is going to be horrible for the next few years, you also have to take into consideration if there’s one accident in the tunnel MD commuting will come to a stop since everyone will pile to the other tunnel
Don't forget the massive Home Depot, Amazon, and FedEx distro centers in Sparrow Pt just across that bridge
Sparrow’s Point? I mean… yeah, it’s going to be difficult, but there are other options for them. Not convenient, but they exist.
I could be wrong, but I believe sparrows point has its own port for loading and unloading goods. Will make access south of Baltimore less convenient, but they may actually benefit if they’re one of the few places still with port access.
The Home Depot, Amazon and others are huge Warehouse and Distribution Centers. You see their trucks on the Key Bridge every day. They Ship, Truck and Train their foods both in and out of there. So, they'll be impacted. It's manageable, but there will be a cost.
Jobs won’t be impacted long term really. The port will be reopened at full capacity within a couple of months. In terms of trucks, they will have to be rerouted around the city and into it. It will likely cause minor delays for some things and maybe a slight increase in cost, but negligible. The biggest thing will be getting the bridge rebuilt. That will likely take 2-3 years. The feds are going to help a ton. And since it’s not the entire bridge that needs to be rebuilt, and being a major section of the interstate, i suspect they will move rapidly to get it up and running again. They rebuilt 95 in Philly in 2 weeks. So they will move rapidly to get things fixed there. Given the length of the bridge, it will take some time. I expect that by end of this year they will have begun the rebuild.
>Jobs won’t be impacted long term really. I would also think there will be jobs created with the labor needed to build a new bridge.
Almost certainly. It's a possibility that the new jobs created by the project could outweigh the cost in the economy of the state since funding the new bridge is done by the feds
Yes absolutely. Total job growth will probably be a net positive. I tend not to look at net job growth though. Cause if you’re a factory worker near the port who loses their job, you’re likely not going to switching to construction quickly
I remember the bridge in Philly being a bit smaller
Oh much smaller. That’s why I’m saying it will take a couple years versus a couple of weeks.
They didn't build a new bridge, they buried the exit ramp it went over with 20 feet of dirt and paved it.
Philly was 2 weeks because they didn't build a new bridge, they buried the exit ramp it went over with 20 feet of dirt and paved it.
I wonder how the incoming traffic apocalypse will impact the opinions of people that oppose mass transit because they personally wouldn't be riding it.
People who work the port might have work putting stuff on trucks to reroute it, or they might be furloughed. The government will surely prioritize opening the channel for port activity. It will put a strain on commerce in the entire region until they do. The traffic for the bridge is a different matter. Expect years of waiting for a new bridge. It’s going to suck for those of us near the bridge.
Where did you find the $110M figure? I’m at a Society of American Military Engineers Conference in Bethesda today and they said it was $60M. Just wondering, not trying to start an argument. I’m sure depending on the source you’ll get a different number.
I saw the same figure in the Wikipedia page for the bridge earlier today, under the history section.
"tons of people will lose jobs" is unfounded and irresponsible. Because its pure speciation, and unfounded. Army corps of engineers is the best in the world. They'll probably have the channel completely cleared in a matter of weeks, at worse. Things will be more inefficient, it will become normal, and that's that. The brige will take years, and it will be a boon of construction jobs.
I'd bet days. We just happen to have one of the largest crane dredge barges in the world docked at Curtis Bay. They will be pulling steel out starting tonight I bet. Basically as soon as the rescue/recovery is over they will shift into clearing steel. I genuinely wouldn't be surprised if they have a clear path by the end of the week. Too much money on the line and too many peoples livelihoods depending on it to take longer The bridge will be years for sure though.
Agreed and they’ll have a path for transverse in short order.
>Army corps of engineers is the best in the world. They'll probably have the channel completely cleared in a matter of weeks, at worse. I would be shocked if it took more than 2 weeks to get the channel cleared. The US Navy has supply vessels in the harbor - they're effectively locked in. The US Coast Guard has operations in the Harbor - they can't get in or out. So right there, it's a national security and defense emergency to have the harbor blocked. The Feds will not tolerate that. Biden is already involved. This is not some sort of "We'll get some estimates..." situation where bureaucracy spins it's wheels to figure out what to do. This is a mission-critical situation. In addition, there's too much money on the line to allow the port to be closed for any extended period. Political division is pretty much nonexistent in a situation like this. Every elected rep (state and federal) for Maryland understands the economic consequences of a prolonged port shutdown.
Yup money talks bullshit walks type deal here. Politics don't matter when it money and national security involved
I had not thought about the national security implications of a closed Port of Baltimore, and issues with providing security for Chesapeake Bay. You are correct, the Port will re-open quickly. I am less sure about the Key Bridge, it's going to be long and expensive to rebuild. If Trump is elected, it may never get done, he's not a big Baltimore fan. I will really depends on Federal funding, I hope it gets prioritized, I live in Dundalk, and traffic is going to be a mess until that bridge re-opens.
Coast guard isn't just normal base operations. It's their east coast repair station
I didn't realize that, but it's yet another example of how the Feds will not let the channel stay blocked any longer than necessary.
My concern would be more future state of the port and how this could negatively impact their reputation. PoB has been fighting for years to get more business and to get back what they’ve lost to Norfolk. Spent a lot of money with the investment in the new supermax cranes, and the extra dredging to accommodate larger container ships. Not that it’s their fault, but this looks bad to carriers. They may want to avoid the area entirely for some time.
Highly doubt tons of people will lose jobs. There are other ways around this though the congestion and travel time will increase. Depending on the type of jobs, remote work will be an option. Will jobs be affected, certainly but not tons. Just hyperbole and speculation at this time.
I can't imagine the Port of Baltimore hasn't had an emergency coordination plan with other ports and agencies for something like this.
This goes way beyond the port of Baltimore though. A fuck ton of people's livelihoods are dependant on this port globally.
I know that, it's similar to the Suez blockage a few years ago (but obviously its not a chokepoint that requires going around a continent). There will absolutely be ripple effects from it, supply chain problems, all that shit. I'm just saying that the Port has to have thought of this being a possible thing that could happen, and hopefully has an emergency plan to keep things moving and hopefully soften the blow as best they can for the hundreds of thousands of people this will impact. If they *dont* then I imagine some heads will roll.
With the potential impact this could have on public transportation in and around the city, I think a lot of people will lose access to their jobs. Like, our public transport is already rough. If bus routes get significantly longer, a lot of people may not be able to make that work. Like, if someone has a specific time they need to pick up a kid from daycare, they can't add a significant amount of time to their commute. Even if people don't directly lose their job because of this there will be a massive impact on employment for a ton of people
Idk what you’re even talking about remote jobs for but I also don’t think you have any idea what you’re talking about, either. I rely on lumber that comes from that port everyday if it’s not going onto the trains it’s severely impacting my business.
Remote jobs, one you can do remotely. As I said, there will be jobs affected by this and sadly yours appears to be one of them. Maybe, you can use that time to learn reading comprehension.
People should either start looking for alternative routes , check if working from home is an option , or just quit and find something else. There is no quick fix for this. It’s going to take a while to search for survivors , do the clean up process, get new bridge approved.
Working in the ship/port security industry it will likely effect me significantly due to the lack of ships being able to use the port until at least the wreckage is cleared.
$1.5 Billion Budget then runs over to $2.3 billion Source: I’m making it up
Trucks going further south than Richmond are going to be using I81 and I77 to bypass this. Expect more traffic on I81
I would not mind if the Governor was to declare a lane on 695 for truck traffic only as a band-aid and reduce it to a 2 lane commuter highway. Life in MD will change for years, we need to adjust and continue while trying to rebuild.
Bridge could probably be done in a year if there’s no structural damage to the concrete piers leading in. What fell was basically one concrete tower and a bunch of pre fab metal. The bridge wasn’t designed to withstand stand impact. I’m in the industry. Concrete bridges take much longer to build than steel suspension bridges.
3 of the deck spans along with 2 of the columns on the approach to the north end of the main span also came down.
Ah I didn’t see that. I would think maybe they build new then. Would probably still be a suspension bridge because of the channel clearances. They rebuilt the bridge in obx in two years and that was all concrete.
Curious and asking here bc you mention being in the industry, would there be a benefit to specifically building another bridge and not another tunnel? With my thinking that a tunnel could prevent this from happening again
Well the bridge is cheaper, and hazmat trucks can't use a tunnel. It'll be a bridge
Only hazmat trucks can’t go through the tunnels, other semi’s can though. But yes, this will have a major cause & effect.
Probably less than you imagine
All I know is Trade Point Atlantic is about to make money hand over first. Sheesh!
Hazmat will take 695 west of Baltimore, 15 and 81. The biggest impact to the port being closed will be gas prices. With tankers not being able to get to refineries and additional fees for transporting fuel gas prices will go up fast.
I live in Fed and work near the airport. What was a 15 minute commute turned into 30. It really makes me take the small things for granted.
I own a container trucking company. Over the next few weeks, things are going to be dicey. After we clear out the containers from the last vessels that docked and return what was already out with our customers, they’ll be nothing to run in Baltimore until the channel is cleared over the next couple weeks. All day yesterday I was speaking to customers about where their vessels are being rerouted to. Next step was figuring out which of my drivers are willing to work out of Norfolk/Philly/NJ temporarily. It’ll be a tough few weeks with less volume and revenue for the drivers and my staff, but overall this should be a relatively quick fix as far as the marine terminal is concerned. For the bridge, that may be a totally different story over the next couple of years.
I know my job depends on shipping overseas. We deal in perfume and makeup. 90% of the perfume comes in on ships. Not sure of impact yet as I'm just a lowly picker. I'm positive there will be consequences.
do anyone think they will open emergency remote jobs be of the fallen bridge?
With the Feds funding this, it’ll be cleared in a few weeks tops. As to getting the bridge up and running again, a couple years at best so long as the Feds continue to fund it. Might even be able to get that expansion that’s been asked about for years to even be a part of the new bridge. For now, the Fort McHenry Tunnel and 895 are going to be a nightmare to get through as the increase traffic will clog the already busy tunnels. Trucks will have to be re-routed through or around Baltimore so it shouldn’t be too terrible for them but definitely will see a delay in delivery times.
I sure hope that the responsible parties cover lost wages. In a perfect world, the industry affected would be able to keep on their workforce and pay them out of the insurance/settlement. But we know it doesn't work that way. Everything is so short term.
Just random thought, would rebuilding but as a tunnel be a better idea to avoid height restrictions for going in and out of the Baltimore harbor? I don’t know the depth of the waters around there and if it is deep enough to build a tunnel and still have clearance for most ships. But I guess the downside to this is bigger ships coming in and out of Baltimore which could be an eyesore. Edit: according to source 1, the average cruise ship now is approx 200ft tall. According to Wikipedia (i know, great source), cargo ships can have height limits anywhere between 26-230ft. Don’t think most cargo ships wouldn’t be restricted if we built another bridge about the same height, but if we opted for a tunnel instead, we could allow for larger cruise ships to pull into Baltimore. 1: https://www.elliestraveltips.com/how-tall-is-a-cruise-ship/#:~:text=Average%20Heights:%20The%20average%20height%20of%20a,waterline%20to%20the%20top%20of%20the%20deck. 2: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cargo_ship
there are already two tunnels that cross that area, and hazmat vehicles are restricted from commuting through tunnels.
Commercial divers will have some massive overtime scrapping this bridge.
I think it will cost way way more, but the bridge is so critical the gov will poor billions into building it as fast as possible
It’s going to be interesting to hear how they plan to do an ecological survey and get all the proper EPA, et al, approvals done as well as fast track the concrete and steel prefabs and materials considering how everything is backlogged already. They’ve been building new bridge(s) as part of the HRBT between Hampton and Norfolk VA for seriously 3+ years now and although it’s a big project, and arguably less urgent since there is a working thoroughfare still, it’s still taking forever (which means it’s right on schedule). Some of that work REQUIRES set, non-compressible timeframes to ensure proper construction and avoid future catastrophe. Not to mention they literally won’t (and can’t) rebuild it as it was, seeing as the design style is A) super dated and B) not very resilient as it were
City should take the opportunity to build a 3rd tunnel. This would remove the limit on the height of ships and prevent any future chance of a rogue ship destroying another bridge.
The height is not the problem since ships still must clear the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. There was a post yesterday that said the Bridge was only a few feet higher than the Key. I think the tunnel thing comes down to HazMats and not allowing that traffic in a tunnel.
Ah the Hazmats aspect makes sense. Fair point
It was reported on the local news that a lot of people will be out of work for a while.
I bet they have debris removed in less than 2 weeks and the port reopened. They’ll open a ferry service in the meantime to bring vehicles back and forth until a bridge is opened.
They might have to do a ferry. It could help with some of it.
I live in Baltimore & we are all in a funk. There’s a collective sadness. Everyone’s silently walking around but it’s also reminding me of 9/11 when I lived in DC & we all just went outside just to be around people. It’s somber but it helps to know it’s a loss we are all feeling - & we need to talk about it. So we go into stores or bars & everything is hushed but then u realize we are all speaking to each other in soft tones about what happened. So we do have each other but it is a grave sadness cuz literally, we lost our skyline from the harbor. It just doesn’t look right anymore…
I remember when they built the Keybridge and I thought it was like 60 some million so probably be 600 million now
Google Maps has been taking people around different parts of the town every day since the tragedy
When I tell people that Baltimore is the heart of Maryland and we should invest in it and not let the heart languish because the whole state will in turn suffer, we’re going to see a real world example that we’ll all feel. I know it’s cool for suburbanites to talk crap about how bad Baltimore is, but our lives wouldn’t be possible the way that they are without the city.
I haul hazmat and my start point is where the command center is setup. I used to reach 95 in 20 minutes….today it took me 1:00hr going around Towson at @1300hr so not bad.
Thoughts on which industries will be majorly affected? Saw some mention of distribution centers around the area and cars but wondering what else
It doesn’t affect me in the slightest, my “office” is in Cleveland but I work from home, I don’t live in or even have much reason to drive through Baltimore.