Trucks unlawfully carrying hazardous chemicals through Baltimore tunnels have police on alert

BALTIMORE -- The Key Bridge replacement is still on track to open in four years, and at a board meeting Thursday, Maryland Transportation Authority officials heard about concerns that trucks with hazardous chemicals are unlawfully traveling through the tunnels.

Since the Key Bridge collapse, trucks carrying certain hazmat loads have had to detour around the Fort McHenry and Harbor Tunnels, which is a 30-plus mile trip that adds time and costs extra fuel.

"I've already had drivers coming in this area [asking]what have we got to do now that the bridge is out, and I've told them you have to go around!" said truck driver Clark Schoeffield. "It has affected a lot of us. I know we have to go around and sometimes haul hazardous materials. And it has put a strain on the two tunnels that we have—and of course the Beltway also."

Removing hazardous chemical placards?

WJZ asked about reports some drivers have been removing their hazardous chemical placards to avoid enforcement

"It wouldn't be a good idea to do that. If somebody's doing that, it's very risky," he said.

Transportation Authority police told their oversight board Thursday they have stepped up patrols and spot checks on drivers.

"Contacts with commercial motor vehicles have drastically increased on 95 and especially 895," said MdTA Police Lt. Col. Corey McKenzie.

Truck GPS message systems

They are also using technology to educate truckers including messages through GPS systems. 

"If someone puts in a route that is coming through one of our tunnels, we simply ask that a message pops up advising them of our various restrictions. Hopefully, that will trigger them to find out what those restrictions are before they come onto our roadways," McKenzie said. 

Impacts of hazardous chemicals

The impact of a rollover or fire would be a disaster for one of the major travel arteries on the East Coast.

Currently, the MdTA does mobile spot checks. 

"Many of those out-of-state drivers who are traveling on I-95 or I-895 corridors may not be away aware of all those restrictions in the same way that local operators are," Louis Campion, the Maryland Motor Truck Association President, told the MdTA board.

Bridge rebuild

The Transportation Authority was also briefed on the Key Bridge replacement, which is still on track to reopen in late 2028.

The federal government has sped up the process saying any new bridge would have the same footprint and does not need a comprehensive environmental study. 

The supports for the old bridge will be removed in the fall. 

Insurance payout

And an insurance payout for the old bridge—estimated at $350 million—is expected to be paid out next month. 

"That would be 30 days from signing the agreement, somewhere in mid-August. That's moving forward so we can show that commitment to the federal government," MdTA Executive Director Bruce Gartner said. 

The money would go to the federal government.

Maryland lawmakers are still pushing Congress to pay the full cost of the replacement bridge. It is far more than the insurance payment with an estimated cost of $1.7 billion.