Baltimore Traffic Suffering From Absence of Key Bridge

Baltimore-area residents are still feeling the impacts of the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which, when open, carried more than 34,000 vehicles including over 3,000 commercial trucks per day. 

In a piece for The Baltimore Banner, April Quevedo writes, “Trucks carrying hazardous materials that used the bridge to cross the harbor are now forced to go around the Beltway in the opposite direction (a 35-mile detour) due to cargo restrictions through Baltimore City traffic tunnels — though not all hazmat vehicle operators adhere to commodity restrictions.”

An analysis of traffic accident and congestion data reveals that “Baltimore-area traffic congestion along certain corridors of major highways has increased by at least 25% since the collapse of the Key Bridge,” with tunnels bearing the brunt of the impact. Northbound travel times in the Baltimore Harbor and Fort McHenry tunnels are up by 100 percent and 200 percent.

A representative from the MDTA told Capital News Service the agency “continues to ‘monitor commute times along the alternative routes, adjust signal timing when appropriate, and clear crashes from travel lanes as quickly as possible to mitigate congestion.’”