Baltimore bridge collapse to bring trade and traffic chaos
The Baltimore Fire Department called the collapse a developing mass casualty event.
The tragic collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge along I-695 in Maryland into the Baltimore harbor following a «ship strike» early Tuesday morning is expected to cause major economic disruptions to the area and across the country.
The port, a major route for shipping containers and cruise liners, is the deepest harbor in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay, closer to the Midwest than other East Coast ports, with five public and 12 private terminals, according to the Maryland government website.
The I-695 is also a critical link for trucking and motor vehicles linking Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York and the disaster comes ahead of the upcoming Easter Weekend.
A Coast Guard search and rescue helicopter flies over Dali cargo vessel which crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge causing it to collapse in Baltimore, Maryland. (Julia Nikhinson / Reuters Photos)
2 PEOPLE RESCUED, SEVERAL MISSING AFTER SHIP STRIKE TRIGGERS BALTIMORE BRIDGE COLLAPSE
The port is the busiest in the U.S. for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2023, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration. It is also the largest U.S. port by volume for handling farm and construction machinery, as well as agricultural products.
It handled a record amount of cargo last year, making it the 20th biggest port in the nation ranked by total tons, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
Chloe Demrovsky, the executive in residence in global economy at New York University, tells Fox News Digital that the port has grown significantly over the last 25 years and the bridge collapse is going to have a devastating impact on the area.
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