The DMV continues to grapple with the Baltimore bridge collapse
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Photo: Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The Baltimore region continues to grapple with the tragedy of Tuesday's bridge collapse.
The big picture: Baltimore is mourning the loss of several workers presumed to be dead after a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge Tuesday morning as the city and country attempt to mitigate the effects of losing a vital port's key piece of infrastructure.
The latest: Divers recovered two bodies Wednesday, who were among a group of six repairing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed; the other four are presumed dead. Officials have said the workers were from Guatemala, Mexico, Honduras, and El Salvador.
- National Transportation Safety Board investigators have reclaimed the ship's "black box" and are working to determine how the ship lost power. The investigation could take 12 to 24 months.
Zoom in: While Baltimore's shipping channel could be cleared in a few months, it will likely require years and hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild the bridge.
- President Biden wants the federal government to pay the full cost of reconstructing the bridge, a sentiment Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed in a press conference Wednesday.
- Key members of Congress from Maryland are already gearing up to push for funding.
In the meantime, the collapsed bridge will impact swaths of local lives.
- The port is directly connected to 15,300 jobs, while 140,000 in the region are affiliated with it, generating a total of $3.3 billion in personal income.
- Maryland officials have proposed legislation that would allocate funds for port workers' lost income due to the bridge collapse, as well as mitigate lost business as companies turn to other ports.
It will also affect area transportation: Sections of I-695 remain closed while the Maryland Transportation Authority directs travelers to use I-95 and I-895, on which "increased travel times" are expected.
- Carnival has temporarily relocated Baltimore cruise voyages to Norfolk, and many upcoming cruise schedules are in flux.