BALTIMORE—The collision of a cargo ship into a pillar supporting the Francis Scott Key Bridge has caused tragic consequences with the lives of six people who are presumed dead.
The bridge collapse also has forced a rerouting of traffic which normally would have crossed the bridge, as well as likely slowing or even stopping the near-term flow of export and import goods, such as automobiles, into the port. The bridge will be rebuilt and perhaps soon, but the devastating impact will be felt for many years.
We at Microgrid Knowledge are stunned and saddened by the accident and its consequences on the human scale.
Our Microgrid Knowledge Conference is scheduled April 22-24 at the Marriott Waterfront along Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. The event is going ahead as planned as the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) says there is no direct logistical impact on the area or venue where Microgrid Conference 2024 is taking place at the Marriott Waterfront Hotel.
The hotel continues to operate normally, although staff and the surrounding community are understandably in shock about the accident and resulting loss of life. Staff with both the CVB and Marriott Waterfront have encouraged current guests, and Microgrid Knowledge attendees next month, to seek out local traffic updates to ensure as smooth a commute as possible.
The routes from the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and other nearby major airports to the Marriott Waterfront are not directly impacted nor typically cross the Francis Scott Key Bridge to get to the Inner Harbor hotels. Even so, travelers are encouraged to use I-95 and I-895 as alternative routes if needed, according to the Maryland Department of Transportation.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was built in the 1970s. News reports indicate that the cargo ship may have suffered from electrical issues causing it to drift off-course and into the bridge pillar.
The team from Microgrid Knowledge and Endeavor Business Media are cognizant and sensitive to the toll caused by the accident, but are still excited about coming to the historic, beautiful city April 22-24 as the event happens. We will deliver more information on our time in Baltimore as we get closer.
