Major bridge collapse in Baltimore

My understanding is that was the only real hazmat route. So either they decide to let those trucks in the tunnels (not bloody likely) or they’ve got a helluva detour ahead.

 

I had no idea this was a thing until we took a cruise out of Miami last year and nerded out on YouTube videos about our ship and cruising in general. They obviously have pilots to navigate Government Cut. The idea of climbing about a boat in the middle of the ocean and in darkness sounds insane but obviously necessary to me.

 

I drove through Baltimore last night and other than the flashing signs on 95 alerting you to the bridge “closure” for the preceding 50 miles, you wouldn’t have been able to tell anything happened. Traffic flowed through the Harbor tunnels just fine. It was 8 pm, though.

And, just in case you thought this might make Marylanders drive like sentient humans for once, you’d be sorely, sorely mistaken. The usual MD demolition derby was 100 times worse yesterday than normal (which is incredibly awful on its own).

 

Well, we have a bridge that's in the water, commerce for one of the country's busiest ports has been reduced to next to nothing and who knows how many Baltimore commuters have been handed a major daily pain in the ass for the next __ months/years, and I haven't heard about likely solutions to prevent there from being a next time.

 

So all those “Please Drive Gently” signs don’t do the trick?

 

I don't know how much hazmat traffic there is, but a ferry taking trucks across the harbor shouldn't be too hard to get going.

 

I heard the number 34,000 in reference to the number of cars that will need to be diverted daily. You’re correct about the hazmat vehicles not being allowed in the tunnels. I think I also heard the only detour is about 30 miles, and is at least partially on city streets. Route 1 is only a few miles from 95, but has a traffic light every 10 feet and is already severely crowded. That’ll be fun.

 

Not unless “Please Drive Gently” actually means “Drive Like You’re the Ball in a Pinball Machine.”

 

The other time-honored saying in transportation: If you wanted something damaged, paint it yellow.

 

Maryland drivers either drive like 1990 Dale Earnhardt or Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies. There's no middle.

 

Baltimore's logistics woes could get worse as CSX is planning a six-month outage to raise clearances for doublestack trains in the ancient Howard Street tunnel (site of a major fire some years ago).

 

Truth.

And some drive like Granny when you’re behind them and then turn into Earnhardt only when you try to pass them.