Businesses that depend on Baltimore’s port are bracing for a lengthy interruption in port operations that could exact a steep financial toll.
BALTIMORE — Trucks still rumble down Holabird Avenue while freight trains sound their horns. But the lunchtime crowd at Vinny’s Cafe, a popular Italian joint favored by dockworkers, is lighter than usual. And people here confess to an uneasy feeling they liken to the first days of the coronavirus pandemic.the Francis Scott Key Bridge, marooning the Port of Baltimore behind a barricade of crooked steel and shattered concrete.
The work above and below the water is expected to be dangerous and time-consuming. After the debris is removed, a years-long project to erect a new bridge will begin. Cargo ships will be able to call at the port while that rebuilding proceeds, transportation experts said.“I’m pretty sure once that channel is opened, the port will be able to handle all of the business they’ve handled in the past,” said Jim White, who retired in 2019 after 18 years as the port’s executive director.
The bridge collapse came as the port was coming off a record year in cargo handling while awaiting infrastructure improvements that were expected to make it more competitive.Instead of building on that success, the port now is all but frozen. Cargo carriers such as Maersk and Evergreen have begun diverting container ships to ports in New York, New Jersey and Norfolk.
, former Maryland transportation secretary. That “discretionary” cargo could easily flow into another East Coast gateway, especially if the price is right.“What ports do best is steal discretionary cargo,” said Porcari, who was President Biden’s port envoy during the pandemic supply chain crisis. “Long term, Baltimore may lose some discretionary cargo — and that hurts.”
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