Report: Bridge collapse impacts daily lives of nearly half of Baltimore residents

The Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse continues to impact the daily lives of nearly half of Baltimore-area residents, a new report from Johns Hopkins University's 21st Century Cities Initiative has found.

Many respondents said they have found it harder to visit family and friends, run errands, and get to work or the doctor's office.

The findings offer insight into the burdens Baltimore City and Baltimore County residents have experienced since the bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024, reshaped the region's traffic patterns.

"The collapse was akin to a natural disaster striking the city, causing unexpected disruptions to people's lives and well-being," said co-author Mac McComas, program manager of the 21st Century Cities Initiative. "As with a natural disaster, it is important to know the extent to which people are impacted in the aftermath and whether certain populations are impacted more than others."

As part of the 2024 Baltimore Area Survey, Johns Hopkins researchers asked 934 city and 558 county residents how the bridge collapse affected their lives, how well the government responded to people who needed help, and how long they expect it will take to rebuild. The data, collected from September through November 2024, reflects how respondents were feeling six to eight months after the collapse.

People living closest to the bridge were most affected, the report found. More than 60% of respondents living within 3 miles of the bridge collapse said it still affected their daily lives, with nearly 20% saying they were impacted "a great deal." In contrast, approximately 40% of respondents living more than 15 miles away said their daily lives were still being disrupted, with only 4% saying they were affected "a great deal."

"After the collapse, trucking routes changed, causing a shift in traffic patterns. We've talked to folks whose commutes are five to 10 minutes longer one way," McComas said. "Day after day, that time adds up."

The data showed that there weren't racial or economic disparities among the responses.

"In many Baltimore-area and national crises, such as the gun violence and opioid epidemics or COVID, we frequently see disparate impacts with some racial and economic groups being much more impacted than others," McComas said. "But in the instance of the Key Bridge collapse, the impact was broad and widespread across racial and socioeconomic groups, demonstrating how crucial of a role the Key Bridge played in the daily lives of many Baltimore-area residents."

Key findings include:

• More than half of Baltimore-area residents said the government response at all levels was sufficient: Most respondents said local, state, and federal government agencies had done a "fair" or "moderate" job helping those affected. Roughly 30% said the government had done a "good" or "very good" job.
• Those who were impacted "a great deal" were more likely to have a negative view of the government response: More than three in 10 respondents who said they were impacted "a great deal" gauged the local, state, and federal government response to people who needed help as "poor" or "very poor."
• Baltimore-area residents displayed confidence in plans to rebuild the bridge but not in the timeline: Roughly nine out of 10 respondents expressed confidence that local, state, and federal governments would be able to rebuild the bridge, but the majority stated it would take longer than the four-year timeline the state government has offered. Respondents who were told about the government's four-year timeline were less confident that it could be met than respondents who were not told about the timeline.