This article is part of MACo’s Policy Deep Dive series, where expert policy analysts explore and explain the top county policy issues of the day. A new article is added each week – read all of MACo’s Policy Deep Dives.
At 1:28 am on March 26th, 2024, the container ship the Dali lost power and veered into one of the supports of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Upon impact, the bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River, killing six workers and cutting off the Port of Baltimore from international trade. On May 20th, nearly two months after the impact, the Dali was refloated and removed from the site. In this week’s deep dive, we will take a look at the last few months since the bridge collapsed and the road ahead.
How the Collapse Impacts Maryland
The Port of Baltimore
From the onset, Marylanders in and around the Francis Scott Key Bridge felt the ramifications of the collapse. The Port of Baltimore was closed for almost a month as wreckage created a barrier for deep water shipping. On April 25th, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) opened a new temporary channel by which some operations could resume. USACE plans to open a more permanent channel by the end of May. The closure of the port has had a negative economic impact both locally and regionally, as workers and businesses await the return to normal operations.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond,
The immediate impact on the local area could be substantial: The temporary closure can directly impact the labor income of more than 15,000 workers at the port along with 140,000 workers associated with the port’s operations. IMPLAN estimates that a one-month closure of the port may cost Maryland $28 million in lost tax revenue.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge 
The bridge carried an estimated 12.4 million vehicles annually, including more than 35,000 commuters, trucks, and vital goods and services each day. It also provided a crucial link in transporting certain hazardous materials up and down the East Coast. Both commuters and freight shipments will now be diverted to other transportation routes in the Baltimore area, putting additional stress on local infrastructure.
Regarding any environmental damage, the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences predicts,
The immediate ecological impacts of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key bridge will likely be minimal. The ecological effects of the salvage operation and subsequent reconstruction may be more substantial and will require the same environmental safeguards that currently guide harbor activities.
Government Actions
Leaders at the federal, state, & county levels have been coordinating a multipronged response and recovery effort through a Unified Command and Joint Information Center. Members of this group include the U.S. Coast Guard, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland State Police, and Synergy Marine. Primarily, federal and state officials have taken the lead, as the bridge was owned by the state, and the scale of the project requires resources that primarily only the federal government can muster.
So far, the federal government has approved $60 million in emergency relief funds. Earlier this month, Governor Moore hosted federal leaders from Congress and the administration on a tour of the recovery and salvage operations. Securing federal funding to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge is critical to addressing the economic, social, and community impacts felt across the region, state, and country.
At the state level, officials have been working to create several programs to help impacted workers in addition to the recovery and rebuilding efforts:
- HB1526/SB1188– Maryland PORT Act – Establishes the Fallen Transportation Workers Scholarship Program, requires the Maryland Department of Labor and the Department of Commerce to establish programs to assist individuals and certain entities impacted by the reduced operations of the Port of Baltimore, and authorizes the Secretary of Labor to alter certain unemployment eligibility requirements.
- Port of Baltimore Worker Support Program – A $15 million program that provides cash assistance to eligible workers who have lost income and work hours due to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
- Port of Baltimore Worker Retention Program– A $12.5 million program provide grants to directly impacted businesses who are at risk of laying off employees to keep those workers on the job.
- Neighborhood BusinessWorks – The program has $5 million to provide small businesses with grants of up to $50,000; and $10 million no-interest loan program offers loans of up to $500,000.
- Port of Baltimore Emergency Business Assistance Program – The $15 million program provides grants to businesses that have had operations impacted or shipments disrupted at the Port of Baltimore.
Rebuilding the Bridge
Earlier this month, state officials released plans to begin reconstruction of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. The project will likely cost nearly $2 billion and take approximately four years to complete. In addition to the $60 million in federal emergency funds, the state is set to receive a $350 million insurance payout on the bridge. Members of Maryland’s Congressional Delegation are working on legislation to ensure that “the federal government supports 100 percent of the replacement…” It is uncertain how much the ship’s owner, Singapore-based Grace Ocean Private Ltd, would be required to pay as litigation is projected to take years before a final settlement is likely reached.
Resources to Stay Informed
