Trucking Costs Could Rise $93M Per Year During Bridge Repair

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March is projected to impose significant operational costs on the Mid-Atlantic trucking industry, amounting to $92.8 million annually beginning in 2025, with an overall impact of $446 million by 2028 as the bridge undergoes reconstruction. The incident was triggered by the containership MV Dali 3 colliding with a bridge support pillar, causing traffic to shift to longer, alternative routes, primarily affecting carriers and drayage companies related to the Port of Baltimore. While the port reopened in June, the bridge is not expected to be accessible to trucks until 2028, should the schedule remain on track. The study conducted by researchers from the University of Maryland and Morgan State University highlights that with the current traffic conditions, truckers may experience an annual increase of approximately 1.1 million hours in travel time, resulting in average travel time increases of up to 58% for trucks on alternate routes. The findings indicate that heavy-duty trucks are disproportionately affected, facing increased travel times due to heightened restrictions in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel and necessary detours to Interstate 695, especially for vehicles carrying hazardous materials. The analysis utilized over 2 million truck trajectory data to illustrate the shifts in traffic flow and the resulting complications. The closure has not only caused congestion but has also reduced freight volumes at the Port of Baltimore; container tons processed decreased significantly from March to October. The bottleneck resulting from the bridge closure could worsen as additional traffic heads toward the port through limited routes. From a transportation perspective, the situation underscores the critical importance of robust infrastructure maintenance and emergency preparedness. Unforeseen events like the bridge collapse serve as a reminder of the cascading effects that can occur in interconnected transportation networks. Mitigating such risks could involve investing in redundancy in infrastructure and enhancing the capacity of alternative routes to accommodate fluctuations in traffic demand, thereby maintaining service levels in both normal operations and crisis situations.