Free Republic

A third temporary channel opened Saturday at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. Commercial vessels were able to use the Fort Carroll Temporary Alternate Channel, which has a controlling depth of 20 feet, a 300-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 135 feet. Earlier in the month, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers officials said they expect to open a limited access channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April. The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm...

On Friday, Joe Biden visited the site of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland — the same bridge he claimed he commuted over regularly via rail, even though it has no tracks — and he just couldn't help himself by invoking the death of his son Beau in order to play the empathy card. "Well, to all the families and loved ones who are grieving: I’ve come here to grieve with you. We all are," he said. "It’s not the same, but I know a little bit about what it’s like to lose a piece of your soul...

The effort to rebuild the recently collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge near Baltimore, Maryland, could quickly turn into a years-long quagmire as a result of environmental red tape under the Biden administration, experts told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The Baltimore Bridge was struck by a container ship navigating the Patapsco River out of the Port of Baltimore in late March, sending several cars and workers into the water and rendering the passageway unusable. It is unknown exactly how long the bridge could take to rebuild, as officials could expedite the process, but experts warned the DCNF that government red...

WASHINGTON — Small businesses in Fayette County affected by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore are eligible to apply for U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest loans. Fayette is one of eight Pennsylvania counties where small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small aquaculture businesses, and private nonprofit organizations now are eligible for Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which carry interest rates of 4% (3.25% for private nonprofit organizations) and have terms of as long as 30 years. Businesses can borrow up to $2 million to pay operating expenses if their revenues dropped due to the disaster. Businesses in Maryland;...

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg couldn’t give a time frame Sunday for when debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse will be cleared from the critical mega US shipping channel. “We haven’t received a timeline yet,” the country’s top transportation chief told CBS’ “Face the Nation” of the massive expected clean-up of the wreckage from the destroyed Baltimore span, which runs roughly 1.6 miles over the Patapsco River, a key transportation route that handled a whopping $80 billion in cargo last year. “This is going to be a very complex process, there are even now forces acting on that steel,”...

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore came as quite a shock. After a massive container ship struck one of the bridge’s pillars, the entire span quickly fell apart, costing several lives. It’s hard to overstate the bridge’s importance, particularly for the automobile industry. In addition to handling 11 million vehicles per year, it provided a vital way for trucks to access the Port of Baltimore while avoiding the dense city core. The impact on the region will be felt for months, if not years. The question is, what now? President Joe Biden has said that the...

The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland which crosses the Patapsco River has reportedly Collapsed within the last few minutes after being Struck by a Large Container Ship

Maryland may eventually do away with tollbooths on the state's highways, bridges and tunnels and switch to electronic toll collection. A preliminary report by the Maryland Transportation Authority concluded that converting its seven toll plazas is feasible but would cost as much as $180 million. Transportation officials initiated the study as they look for long-term savings and ways to reduce travel time and increase highway safety. "It's something we're interested in doing. It's something the industry is moving toward. But it's complicated and we're in the earliest stages," said Harold Bartlett, the transportation authority's executive secretary. At least eight states...

Occupy DC protesters plan to march on the Key Bridge Thursday afternoon. The protesters plan to arrive at the bridge around 2:30 p.m. and return to McPherson Square, where they have camped for the last two months, by 3:30 p.m., avoiding rush hour, according to Occupy DC's media team. An Occupy DC spokesman also said that protesters would stay on the sidewalk to avoid snarling traffic. A newly formed Occupy NoVa group is also planning to march to the bridge from Ballston to meet the Occupy DC group, but its march isn't scheduled to arrive at the bridge until 5...

Arlington Police and fire have blocked off Lynn Street and other streets in vicinity of Key Bridge. Looks like hundreds of police on the scene. So far no word on what precipitated the event, but this hasn't happened before.