Not long after midnight on March 26, a huge cargo ship hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland. The hit caused the entire bridge to collapse. It took several cars, including those belonging to several construction and maintenance workers on the bridge at the time.
The catastrophic collapse claimed the lives of several people on the bridge at the time. Also, it caused a serious travel issue in the Baltimore area that could continue for an indefinite amount of time.
According to CBS News, the Francis Scott Key Bridge was a well-traveled path in Baltimore, Md. It saw more than 30,000 people each day. Maryland’s transit authority has created several detours for the Curtis Bay and Hawkins Point sides of the bride.
Alternate Routes
Alternate routes include Interstates 95 and 895, and depending on a person’s starting place, the routes can be a much longer commute.
According to CBS News, commercial vehicles transporting hazardous materials, like propane, explosives, or radioactive material, should not use the tunnel. They should plan to use Interstate 695 between Glen Burnie and Essex. “This will add significant driving time,” CBS news reports.
Travelers should also note that large trucks, like eighteen-wheelers, will be subject to search to ensure they aren’t carrying hazardous materials into the runners. This, too, can add time delays.
The original construction of the bridge took five years and cost what the Washington Post reports cost more than $300 million in today’s money. There are currently no specific timelines made public about rebuilding the bridge.
And cleanup from hundreds of tons of debris has just begun. Maryland residents, and travelers, are advised to plan to take longer, alternate routes for the foreseeable future.
Lawsuit Preparation
Though unconfirmed, lawsuits are likely to be filed in the tragedy that left two dead and others presumed dead.
Ownership for the cargo ship that hit the bridge is seeking to limit legal liability through a decades-old maritime ruling that The proposed number, around $43.6 million, according to AP News, takes into account the ship’s value as well as repair and salvage costs.
The incident has also impacted trade and the Port of Baltimore to the tune of an estimated $400 million dollars.
Because of maritime law, liability in this case will likely come down to the presence, or absence, of negligence and preventability.
New Channel
On Tuesday, a temporary channel opened to allow limited water traffic to get through the wreckage of the ship. There are also plans to open a third channel, according to local officials who spoke at a press conference the same day.
According to AP News, the majority of ships passing through the channel so far had been vessels supporting the cleanup of the collapse. Others include some of the vessels that have been stuck in the area since the collapse created a blockage last week.