As the shock of the Key Bridge collapse settled in Baltimore, new transportation realities arrived not too far behind. The Quay, a four-lane bridge that collapsed after colliding with a container ship, was not one of the busiest routes across the Port of Baltimore, but its removal meant that about 34,000 cars and trucks had to find an alternative route.
The collapse severed the southern section of the Baltimore Beltway, Interstate 695, which runs through the industrial area around the port. With Interstate 695 closed around the bridge Tuesday, the Maryland Department of Transportation advised commuters to use one of his two tunnels, which also span the port.
When the Key Bridge opened in 1977, it was intended to ease traffic in the busy Harbor Tunnel. But the bridge was also built to serve as his third link, important for north-south traffic on Interstate 95 and commercial traffic from ports and distribution warehouses.
The collapse of the bridge would not only increase pressure on the tunnel, which already carried far more daily traffic than the Key Bridge, but also cause major headaches for trucks, which have long relied on the bridge to transport goods. It will become a seed.
“Nearly 4,900 trucks cross the bridge every day, carrying $28 billion in goods each year,” American Trucking Associations spokesman Sean McNally said in an email.
William Washington, who works at a factory that makes cement slabs just south of the bridge, said his job depends on the continued delivery of supplies. It is not clear how extensive the disruption to the factory will be, but it is likely that operations will not be as usual for some time.
Perhaps most affected are trucks carrying hazardous materials such as oil and natural gas, which are prohibited from passing through tunnels.
Trucks carrying hazardous materials will have to detour about 30 miles, McNally said.
