The early morning collision that sank the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is threatening deep disruptions to the economy and travel.
President Joe Biden promised he would “move heaven and earth” to replace the bridge and that the federal government would pay for the work. But closing off the Port of Baltimore — a crucial stop wedged between other major ports — amid an urgent rescue mission and the complicated nature of the laws that govern maritime shipping will likely ripple for months.
Here are some of the big questions about what happens next:
The crash has cut off all five terminals at the Port of Baltimore, which handles much of the East Coast’s shipping of farm and construction machinery, as well as automobiles and light trucks. And figuring out what to do with vehicles that need to be unloaded might prove tricky in the coming weeks.
