Will Baltimore recover from the bridge collapse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s hope rebuilding the bridge goes better than building the Purple Line.

It will. The purple line is mostly about helping people. The bridge is more about helping commerce. The bridge might even get rebuilt before the Purple line opens.

A major problem with the Purple line is that it's planning and construction requires a ton of cross-agency collaboration, plus Hogan's shenanigans with contracting out aspects of it, have made it a logistical $hitshow.

The key bridge is just one bridge, entirely owned by and run by one agency (Toll authority). It will be a straightforward project and, since fully federally funded with expedited funds, will actually be an economic boon to the city because of all the jobs created by the reconstruction project.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know we’re ragging on OP a bit for being melodramatic, but I assume their point is that Baltimore isn’t viewed as a thriving city necessarily. I hope the federal funding and insurance can provide significant benefits to help.

+1 In 2007 a bridge in Minnesota shockingly fell into the Mississippi River, and not because a 984-foot ship from Singapore had a power failure and bumped into that bridge WHICH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHO VIEWS IT AS A THRIVING CITY NECESSARILY, but because the lack of attention to infrastructure in America let it molder. This disaster killed 13 people and injured 140 more. TWO DAYS LATER the U.S. House of Representatives voted unanimously to provide $250M of federal funds to replace the bridge and the Senate then confirmed it using only a voice vote. Curious to see what happens later this week in 2024, considering the House of Representatives a) has zero interest in governing; b) has even less interest in solving America’s problems; c) is on vacation for at least ten more days; d) has trouble gathering a quorum without concern about Hunter Biden; and e) has a majority who worships a cult leader who WHILE PRESIDENT of Baltimore and the rest of America called the city of Baltimore a “rodent infested mess.”

I do however share your hope for federal funding and significant benefits.

Agreed. We have neglected infrastructure and we will be paying for it with incidents like this. The Key Bridge was built at a time where cargo ships were nowhere as big. I hope engineers take that into consideration when building another. Supports may have to be stronger and they should do something to limit the scope of the damage if a bridge is hit like that again. Many sections shouldn't fall one after another. We must seek and create improvements, like the new fireproofing spray we now put on buildings to help prevent their pancake collapse from overwhelming heat -- a lesson learned from 9/11.

I'm sure the new bridge will be built to current standards and not to those of the 1970s, so let's not worry about that one.

But if you think suddenly we're going to start building bridges that can withstand that kind of impact... we aren't. The answer to this problem is better redundant systems on ships and with port procedures to prevent this from happening. And yes, that better happen.

Imagine if a semi truck drove off a road and into someone's house, killing its residents. Would the solution be to insist all homes be built to withstand the impact of a semi truck traveling over 50 mph? Or would we instead seek to create failsafes that would prevent a semi from veering into a residential home from the road?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s hope rebuilding the bridge goes better than building the Purple Line.

It will. The purple line is mostly about helping people. The bridge is more about helping commerce. The bridge might even get rebuilt before the Purple line opens.

A major problem with the Purple line is that it's planning and construction requires a ton of cross-agency collaboration, plus Hogan's shenanigans with contracting out aspects of it, have made it a logistical $hitshow.

The key bridge is just one bridge, entirely owned by and run by one agency (Toll authority). It will be a straightforward project and, since fully federally funded with expedited funds, will actually be an economic boon to the city because of all the jobs created by the reconstruction project.

Yes, I agree with all of this. I didn’t realize that it will be fully federally funded. That’s great for the city, the county, and the state.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully they are able to re-use the foundation which would speed up construction.

No way. When a new bridge is built, it will likely be a cable-stayed or suspension span with protected towers much further away from the main shipping channel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Hopefully they are able to re-use the foundation which would speed up construction.

No way. When a new bridge is built, it will likely be a cable-stayed or suspension span with protected towers much further away from the main shipping channel.

Those are maintenance nightmares. Also, what about the airport?

[Anonymous]

Winsome Sears just tweeted "the Port of Virginia will receive ships intended for Baltimore to minimize impending supply chain issues."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Winsome Sears just tweeted "the Port of Virginia will receive ships intended for Baltimore to minimize impending supply chain issues."

That’s true (unlike much of what she says.) I’m worried about when/how soon/whether Baltimore gets that port traffic back once the port is accessible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Winsome Sears just tweeted "the Port of Virginia will receive ships intended for Baltimore to minimize impending supply chain issues."

That’s true (unlike much of what she says.) I’m worried about when/how soon/whether Baltimore gets that port traffic back once the port is accessible.

You should be. Even when the shipping channel reopens the port will operate without a bridge that served as a critical link for truck traffic. Keeping current business will be a challenge. Attracting new business will be exceptionally hard.

Port competition is intense and other East Coast facilities like Norfolk, Savannah, and NY/NJ were leagues ahead of Baltimore even before the bridge collapse.

[Anonymous]

I'm wondering if this will curb the carjackings since many of the stolen cars were being shipped out of the Port of Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s hope rebuilding the bridge goes better than building the Purple Line.

It will. The purple line is mostly about helping people. The bridge is more about helping commerce. The bridge might even get rebuilt before the Purple line opens.

A major problem with the Purple line is that it's planning and construction requires a ton of cross-agency collaboration, plus Hogan's shenanigans with contracting out aspects of it, have made it a logistical $hitshow.

The key bridge is just one bridge, entirely owned by and run by one agency (Toll authority). It will be a straightforward project and, since fully federally funded with expedited funds, will actually be an economic boon to the city because of all the jobs created by the reconstruction project.

Yes, I agree with all of this. I didn’t realize that it will be fully federally funded. That’s great for the city, the county, and the state.

I think if there is some finding of culpability on the part of the ship operator or others, there will likely also be some cost recovery there rather than taxpayers holding the bag. But for right now they need to get to work on clearing the shipping lane and rebuilding.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering if this will curb the carjackings since many of the stolen cars were being shipped out of the Port of Baltimore.

Credible sources?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Let’s hope rebuilding the bridge goes better than building the Purple Line.

It will. The purple line is mostly about helping people. The bridge is more about helping commerce. The bridge might even get rebuilt before the Purple line opens.

A major problem with the Purple line is that it's planning and construction requires a ton of cross-agency collaboration, plus Hogan's shenanigans with contracting out aspects of it, have made it a logistical $hitshow.

The key bridge is just one bridge, entirely owned by and run by one agency (Toll authority). It will be a straightforward project and, since fully federally funded with expedited funds, will actually be an economic boon to the city because of all the jobs created by the reconstruction project.

Yes, I agree with all of this. I didn’t realize that it will be fully federally funded. That’s great for the city, the county, and the state.

I think if there is some finding of culpability on the part of the ship operator or others, there will likely also be some cost recovery there rather than taxpayers holding the bag. But for right now they need to get to work on clearing the shipping lane and rebuilding.

Reuters interviewed Lloyd's of London and they're predicting billions will be paid out and that this may be the largest marine insurance loss in history. Taxpayers will not be on the hook for the whole thing.

https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/lloyds-london-sees-multi-billion-dollar-insurance-loss-baltimore-bridge-collapse-2024-03-28/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering if this will curb the carjackings since many of the stolen cars were being shipped out of the Port of Baltimore.

Credible sources?

The PP literally said "I'm wondering"--are we no longer allowed to just share thoughts?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm wondering if this will curb the carjackings since many of the stolen cars were being shipped out of the Port of Baltimore.

Credible sources?

The PP literally said "I'm wondering"--are we no longer allowed to just share thoughts?

The PP literally wrote: “ …since many of the stolen cars were being shipped out of the Port of Baltimore.”

So, while they were “wondering if this will curb the carjackings” they asserted the last bit as a fact. I’d appreciate credible sources for both bits, but particularly for the part that the PP presented as something more verifiable than their “wonderings”.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Winsome Sears just tweeted "the Port of Virginia will receive ships intended for Baltimore to minimize impending supply chain issues."

Norfolk has been receiving ships since Tuesday.