Key Bridge collapse, rain impacts commute for drivers as students return from Spring Break

DUNDALK -- The first day back from Spring Break was on Tuesday for many students in the region, meaning the return of a full morning commute without the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Tens of thousands of drivers used the bridge daily, but with the collapse, all of those drivers have had to find a new route.

WJZ was on the road during the morning commute in Dundalk, finding a stretch of North Point Boulevard by Baltimore Street often looking like a parking lot.

As the rain pelted cars, they inched forward, sometimes minutes at a time.

Greg, who declined to give his last name, drove into Dundalk from Pasadena Tuesday morning.

"I used the Key Bridge every morning, I would've used it [the morning of the collapse]," he said. "This morning, [all of the traffic added] an hour to my trip."

Added time to commutes was a common thread for drivers on Tuesday.

"I came from out of the city...going to Essex or Dundalk, every light was backed up," said Marcus Gash, from Essex.

The rain only made the added traffic worse. Drivers say flooded roads were a common obstacle.

"They actually had a crew at I-95 and I-295 cleaning out the gutters, in the midst of heavy traffic. They were getting sprayed by every car," Greg said.

The rain also created conditions for more reckless driving.

"Some people don't know how to drive in it. Some people drive too fast in it and just gotta be careful when it rains," said Carole Butta, from Dundalk.

The Key Bridge used to handle around 30,000 trips a day. 

Tuesday gave a look at the new normalcy without it, and drivers say it's going to be rough until whenever a new bridge is built.

"Last week, the traffic wasn't so bad," Greg said. "This morning with the rain, I can see where it's gonna be incredibly bad."

Drivers are recommended to use the Fort McHenry Tunnel and Baltimore Harbor Tunnel as a detour.

Some of the re-routed traffic is going through Baltimore City as well.

The city's transportation department is taking a closer look at the impact and will make adjustments, like in traffic enforcement, as necessary.