Baltimore Bridge, also known as the Francis Scott Key Bridge, was 47 years old, spanning from the Truss Bridge to the Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor. It carried the Maryland 695 route between Hawkins Point and Dundalk in Baltimore. The bridge collapsed on 26 March 2024.
The bridge, which is no more, provided access to Baltimore Port. Hence, there will be a significant impact on imports and exports. Do you want to know how this accident occurred and how it will affect the U.S.? If yes, this write-up shares information about that.
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How The Bridge Collapsed
Dali Container ship departed at 00:24 from Baltimore’s Seagirt Marine Terminal on Tuesday for Colombo, Sri Lanka. At 01:25, it suddenly diverted from its course. At the same time, the exterior lights of the ship went out, and smoke started to come out of the funnel. The ship hit the bridge because of this and it collapsed.
Before the ship approached the bridge, a mayday signal was sent. It gave authorities time to clear out the bridge and save lives. The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure agency of CBS Dali’s memo revealed the ship lost its propulsion, which is why the accident occurred. Synergy shared that all the crew members had been accounted for and that no one had been injured.
Effects Of Bridge Fall Down
National Economy
The bridge collapse shut down the Baltimore Port, afffecting ship operations. It served as the top destination for the automobile industry’s exports, which are now disrupted. Retailers and automobile companies like BMW, Volkswagen, Under Armor, and Home Depot could also face this impact.
Regional Economy
Baltimore will experience a hard regional economic impact from the bridge’s collapse. The Baltimore port employs 15,000 workers and supports 140,000 jobs through other activities. As the bridge is gone, employees will have to face longer commute times in congested traffic zones, which will affect their jobs.
Supply Chain Capacity
The Global Head of Supply Chain Research, Chris Rogers, said the bridge collapse is the latest challenge for Northeast U.S. supply chains. Because of this collapse, the economy will be disrupted in the next few weeks and will remain so until April.
