Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) on Sunday sounded the alarm on the far-reaching implications of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, noting it will have a “massive impact” on the national economy.
“It’s not just a massive impact on Maryland; this has a massive impact on the national economy. We’re talking about… one of the busiest ports in the entire country,” Moore said during an interview with “Fox News Sunday.” “A port that handles more cars, more heavy trucks, more agricultural equipment than any other port inside this country.”
“This is impacting the farmer in Kentucky; it’s impacting the auto dealer in Ohio; it’s impacting the restaurant in Louisiana and in Tennessee,” he said, adding later, “And so it really does become a national imperative that we can get the Port of Baltimore up and going again.”
A cargo ship named Dali was heading for Sri Lanka overnight last Tuesday when it collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to crumble into the Patapsco River. Officials said the 984-foot Singapore-flagged ship lost power when attempting to leave the Baltimore Harbor.
The Port of Baltimore has been closed since the bridge’s collapse and is a major shipping hub on the East Coast. Axios reported last week that the port supports over 15,000 direct jobs and more than 139,000 indirect jobs related to the port, which is equal to about $3.3 billion in personal income.
Crews began removing the first piece of wreckage from the bridge on Saturday, marking the beginning of what Moore called a “remarkably complex process.” Officials have not released a definitive timeline for when the removal and eventual rebuild of the bridge could take place.
The Department of Transportation dished out $60 million in emergency funding last week, and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Sunday said additional funding will be allocated.
Moore said the support for Maryland is for more than just the state.
“The support that we’re seeing… it’s not because anyone’s trying to do Maryland a favor. It’s because the national economy relies on the Port of Baltimore,” he said Sunday.