Governor Wes Moore’s office announced on Friday that the temporary worker and business assistance programs established following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge will be winding down. These programs, which were part of the Protecting Opportunities and Regional Trade (PORT) Act, include the Maryland Department of Labor’s worker support program, the Maryland Department of Commerce’s business assistance program, and the Department of Housing and Community Development’s small-business grant program. Applications for these programs will close on June 28, with the small-business loan program from Housing and Community Development ending on August 15.
The Labor Department’s worker-retention program for businesses ceased accepting applications on May 17. These initiatives were established to provide financial aid to workers and businesses affected by the bridge collapse. The incident occurred when a container ship lost power and struck the Key Bridge, causing the center span to collapse into the Patapsco River and resulting in six road workers being killed. This led to a halt in shipping channel access to the Port of Baltimore.
The PORT Act was passed shortly after the bridge collapse in March 26th, providing funding for these relief programs. Since their inception, these programs have distributed $37.4 million in aid to workers and businesses in need. Of this amount, $22 million went towards supporting businesses in Baltimore metropolitan area while around 2,800 workers received direct financial assistance preventing layoffs for over 3,000 jobs. Governor Moore credited bipartisan cooperation for their swift establishment which helped prevent widespread economic hardship for workers and businesses during this time of crisis.
This week state officials confirmed that all remaining debris has been removed from Fort McHenry Federal Channel in Patapsco River fully reopening shipping lanes to Port Baltimore . Now that shipping is operational again at full capacity, attention shifts towards replacing this iconic landmark which is projected to take years with an estimated cost upwards of $1.9 billion based on current estimates .
