I reached out to my suppliers this morning. Only one uses the Baltimore port. They have a lot to figure out.
1 Like
My dad just told me to suck it up! Seriously, though, it has become something I can finally endure … I don’t like it, but I can do it.
Thanks for all the information about the window breaking tool. I’ll have to see what type of glass we have.
1 Like
You could always buy the Glas-Master. 
That won’t be a choice. The type of bridge there was a single impact bridge meaning that a significant impact anywhere on the actual structure would take the whole bridge down.
According to my husband, bridges are no longer designed this way.
But…there has to be a new design, funding, possible insurance involvement, approvals, etc. All of this will take time. And money.
In the meantime, the Baltimore port just can’t be used for a while which will also result in ships needing to be sent elsewhere. Including the cruise ships sailing out of that port.
And of course, traffic will need to be diverted a different way too. DC area driving is bad enough. This is really going to be a headache for the estimated 30,000 commuters who used that bridge daily.
3 Likes
Hopefully they’ll be able to clear the shipping channel in the next month or so and the port can resume operations.
If they decide to go with the existing bridge foundations, utilize the remaining standing portions if possible, rebuild the center section and don’t have a lot of hoops to jump through they might be able to have a working bridge in a few years.
This is absolutely going to have a short term affect on the commerce that flows through that port. It will have a much longer impact on traffic when those 30,000 vehicles a day shift onto the other routes. I expect the 95 and 895 tunnels to be a major rush hour headache for the next few years. The 695 beltway will also clog up more with just the hazmat traffic that will have to be diverted.
I went over the bridge about two weeks ago. It’s hard to imagine it not being there.
2 Likes
It wasn’t a new bridge. This is (sadly for the reason) a chance to construct a bridge with 2024 construction protocol for bridges. I doubt they will be rebuilding the same type of bridge that came down.
1 Like
Yes, not new, it was a 47 year old bridge.
I’m not sure a 2024 bridge could actually survive the ramming of a fully loaded container ship either. Once a key support column is destroyed I think any bridge would have a major disaster. I do think perhaps another barrier away from those supports might make some sense.
2 Likes
Yes…but according to my husband, this was a single impact bridge…meaning a single impact to the structure would take the whole bridge down…as it did.
Bridges aren’t designed that way any longer. And yes, some kind of barrier would be wise too.
This is a huge harbor…the largest in the country, I believe. Many large vessels sail in and out all the time….everyday.
It’s a very sad thing…and hopefully what is built in its place will be better…I hope.
1 Like
I’m sure there have been some improvements in bridge construction. The reality is every bridge is designed differently than the next. If a new bridge can stand to lose an entire support structure and still stand then that sounds great. I think that might be a tough requirement though especially with such an open span necessary for shipping traffic.
Baltimore’s port ranks 17th in traffic. I believe Houston is number 1 with almost 10 times as much cargo.
Yes, many large vessels certainly use the port daily. It is a major shipping port and it’s location is prime for distribution on the highways afterwards. This tragedy will be felt nationally. Hopefully the port can quickly be opened up to marine traffic again.
1 Like
I hope so!
1 Like
If these images are current, they will likely redirect the containers elsewhere on the coast. That helps the imports, but less so the exports.
Looks like Baltimore is nearly half RORO, meaning vehicles and equipment that gets driven or rolled on and off. That is different from the typical port with mostly container shipping.
2 Likes
Heard that the mayday call allowed the emergency personnel enough time to get traffic off the bridge. Thankfully, it was 1am and not peak traffic time. I feel terrible for those construction workers and their families-I wonder why they were not able to get off the bridge in time-some communication error there.
One of my kids has a minor anxiety issue with going over bridges-this is going to make it worse. Thanks to all the tips and tools-have to look into it some more…
5 Likes
What I read indicated they had about 2 minutes between the time they knew there might be a problem and when the bridge collapsed. That is just about enough time (it turns out!) to stop new cars getting on the bridge (if everyone is in a convenient location and nothing goes wrong). It is no where near enough time to get a message to construction workers & have them evacuate.
3 Likes
Wow…2 mins. I had not heard that was the time between the call and incident. I am amazed that they were able to stop traffic and get the cars already on the bridge off. Thankful that they were…
1 Like
It doesn’t appear they could keep/get all traffic off the bridge. It sounds like they’ve located 5 cars and a tractor trailer in the water.
the information is not quite complete yet but the cars located by Sonar were unoccupied. might have been the cars of the construction workers, 6 still missing, 1 rescued.
3 Likes
Where did you read that? The last thing I read about an hour ago said they found several cars and a cement truck, and they thought they all belonged to the construction workers.
1 Like
I’m hoping we get a better understanding of the timeline. Eventually, I think we might learn it was a bit more than two minutes. But the articles I read said that at 1:27 a call went out over the emergency services frequency that there had been a Mayday call and the bridge needed to be cleared and traffic stopped. Some police responded that they were already stopping traffic and others responded that they were on their way. Then the bridge collapsed at 1:29. So I think possibly some police responded to the initial Mayday call which would’ve given them a little more than two minutes.
1 Like