The collapsed Francis Scott Bridge on top of the container ship Dali in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 29, 2024.
Mandel Yan | AFP | Getty Images
Tuesday’s collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Bridge could send a shock wave to the U.S. economy as major transport routes for some goods will remain in disarray for the foreseeable future, officials said Sunday.
“This is not just a disaster for Baltimore, and it’s not a disaster for Maryland. It’s also a national economic disaster,” Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said on CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday.
The channel now clogged with debris is the main entrance to the Port of Baltimore, which Moore described as one of the “busiest (and) most active” in the country.
“This is going to impact farmers in Kentucky. This is going to impact car dealers in Ohio. This is going to impact restaurant owners in Tennessee,” he said.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed the sentiment.
“Getting the port back up and running as quickly as possible is important not only for the people and workers of Baltimore, but also for our national supply chain,” Buttigieg said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
The bridge collapsed on Tuesday after a large cargo ship hit it. distress call shortly before the collision. Two construction workers died; four are missing and presumed dead.
Officials said operations to dismantle the ship, clear the wreckage and reopen the channel began on Saturday.
“Construction has begun on portions of the non-federal waterway, and a 1,000-ton crane on the barge is now in place,” Buttigieg said, adding that another 600-ton crane was on the way.
Buttigieg said there is currently no timetable for completing the salvage work. The timetable for rebuilding the bridge is also unclear, he said.
Federal and local officials have reiterated that the operation will be long and complex.
“We have a ship that’s close to the size of the Eiffel Tower that’s now stuck in a channel with a foundation bridge above it,” Governor Moore said. “So it’s going to be a long road… but action is happening.”
Why the Port of Baltimore is so important
The Port of Baltimore handled a record 1.1 million containers in 2023, according to state data. This makes it the ninth busiest port in the United States based on U.S. trade volumes, wrote Ryan Petersen, CEO of supply chain logistics company Flexport.
The port also handled nearly 850,000 cars and light trucks in 2023, more than any other port in 13 countries.th for one consecutive year, based on status data.
“This port is the No. 1 port for automobiles and agricultural equipment,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
“So this is important to people in rural areas of North Carolina, Kansas and Iowa,” he added. “This is important for the global economy.”
Additionally, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, M.D., told ABC’s “This Week” that more than 15,000 people work directly for the port and thousands more Livelihoods depend on the port.
small business administration declare On Saturday, it will provide up to $2 million in low-interest, long-term loans to local small businesses in the mid-Atlantic region affected by bridge collapses.
American government Grant Maryland initially provided $60 million in funding to clean up the wreckage. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said the federal government would cover 90 percent of the cost of rebuilding the bridge. Van Hollen said he plans to introduce legislation with Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin to cover the remaining 10 percent.
President Joe Biden explain On Tuesday, he planned to have the federal government pay the full cost of rebuilding the bridge and hoped Congress would support the effort.
Some lawmakers, however, are balking at the idea. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA, is called The idea that Biden would use federal funds to pay for it all is “kind of outrageous.”
Despite the divisions in this Congress, Secretary Buttigieg expressed confidence that lawmakers will approve bridge funding on a bipartisan basis.
“If we can see Republicans and Democrats working together to get President Biden’s infrastructure plan passed, they can certainly work together to help America and Baltimore deal with this tragedy,” he said. explain airs Sunday on MSNBC.
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