Right now, we are dealing with the horror of the lives lost when a huge ship crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, destroying it. But a secondary and lingering problem will be the disruption to shipping and travel on the East Coast.

The bridge, which is part of the Baltimore Beltway, spanned the Patapsco River, which is the entry point to the Baltimore Harbor. Thus, the harbor is closed, blocked by a collapsed bridge and sunken ship.