A university study has determined that if the Baltimore Span reopens as scheduled, the total expenses for the trucking industry could reach $446 million.
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Researchers have projected that the closure of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March will lead to a rise in operating expenses for the Mid-Atlantic trucking sector by $92.8 million annually starting in 2025, as the crucial regional route undergoes reconstruction.
A section of the Key Bridge collapsed March 26 after a containership, MV Dali 3, collided with a support pillar, diverting traffic onto alternate, longer routes, particularly for carriers and drayage companies serving the Port of Baltimore.
The port reopened in June, but the bridge is not scheduled to be ready for trucks until 2028, if work remains on schedule, which is likely to impose a total of $446 million in overall operating costs for carriers, a study by University of Maryland and Morgan State University researchers shows.
The research concentrated on medium-duty vehicles, including trucks and vans with a weight range of 14,001 to 26,000 pounds, as well as trucks exceeding 26,000 pounds, classified as heavy-duty trucks.
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Assuming current conditions remain unchanged, a regionwide annual increase of around 1.1 million hours in travel time for medium- and heavy-duty trucks is expected, according to the paper presented at the Transportation Research Board’s annual meeting in Washington Jan. 6.
Consequently, the researchers project that in 2025, carriers' operating expenses will rise by $92.8 million. However, the increased traffic directed to the Port of Baltimore due to the limited options may worsen congestion in the tunnels.
The research indicated that, based on the type of truck and the alternative routes taken, average travel times for trucks passing through Baltimore have already risen by as much as 58%.
Heavy-duty trucks faced notable delays in travel times as a result of restrictions in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel, which necessitated detours to Interstate 695 due to bans on transporting hazardous materials through the tunnels.
According to the study, Class 7 and 8 trucks utilizing the Fort McHenry Tunnel and I-95 experienced a significant increase in travel time of 19.18%. Medium-duty vehicles also faced a rise of 14.18%. Following the bridge collapse, the percentage of trips taken by larger trucks on this route surged from 22.99% to 54.28%, while medium-duty vehicles saw an increase from 6.46% to 24.73%.
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The two largest categories of trucks passing through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel on I-895 experienced a 6.28% increase in travel time, whereas medium-duty trucks faced a 3.49% rise in their travel duration.
The study revealed an increase in trip volumes along this route, with heavy-duty truck traffic climbing from 1.32% to 3.53%, and medium-duty vehicle usage rising from 4.84% to 17.05%. However, the number of trucks utilizing this route decreased due to limitations imposed on heavy-duty vehicles that exceed 13 feet, 6 inches in height or 8 feet in width, as well as the prohibition of all double trailers from entering the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel.
When trucks rerouted through the western parts of I-695, the impact on travel time was significantly more pronounced. Heavy-duty trucks experienced a staggering 36.46% increase in travel duration, while medium-duty trucks encountered an even steeper rise of 58%. The proportion of trips taken by Class 7 and 8 trucks on this route climbed from 8.63% to 16.46%, whereas medium-duty vehicles saw their share grow from 4.07% to 5.90%.
The researchers analyzed over 2 million truck routes sourced from the Regional 3 Integrated Transportation Information System.
The research was conducted by Yaobang Gong, Kaitai Yang, Yi Zhang, and Xianfeng Yang from the University of Maryland, along with Di Yang from Morgan State University.
Alongside disrupting local transportation routes, the accident also resulted in a decrease in freight traffic at the Port of Baltimore. In March, the port handled 624,526 container tons, but by October, that number had dropped to just 526,700 container tons, according to state statistics, negatively impacting the trucking sector as well.
