I sure it’s not as simple as it sounds, but I’d think shipping could be back relatively quickly.

The bridge is much, much longer. Years.

1. Baltimore is a huge seaport
2. That bridge was the only one that could carry hazardous materials

The river had three crossings - two tunnels and the bridge. Neither tunnel allows hazmat. If northbound, most of that is okay as the biggest ship terminals are on the north side of the river/harbor. South bound has to go around the west side of Baltimore, which adds time and miles, depending on destination.

There is a closer parkway that currently prohibits bigger trucks. It would not surprise me to see them allow all traffic on a temporary basis and then rebuild it later.

It's not going to be as good, but we should have the infrastructure to absorb it. It certainly won't be as fast or as efficient, but it will be handled. It will take a while to get back 100%, but the port will operate for traffic once the bridge debris is cleared.

I'm guessing it is going to be felt hardest to the people of Baltimore.

and the lives that were lost .

The bridge will take years to rebuild.

Will be the first problem addressed because of the affect on the economy, not just locally, every day that port is closed is a major situation for the global market.

It will be several weeks as investigations have to take place as the clean up goes on. It's a mess of epic proportion.

Look how long it takes just to get the equipment needed to be put in place.

They will need barges with cranes to clear the mess. The barges have to come from other ports, by tug. That takes time.

It would be nice if there were cranes on barges on the Baltimore port side of the bridge, but I haven't seen any so far.

In the meantime, thousands of folks in Baltimore will be out of work, businesses will close, and shippers will make new plans to use other ports.

It's going to be a very long haul for Baltimore.