NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — While the lives presumed to be lost in the Baltimore bridge collapse remain at the forefront of so many minds, we're also getting our first indication of the impact the bridge collapse may have right here in Tennessee — it may mean big changes to the supply chain.
"The Port of Baltimore is a major port of entry not only for 40-foot containers but also for so-called RORO ships — ride on, ride off," said Andy Borchers, Lipscomb business professor.
That means new cars heading to the U.S. from overseas can quickly roll onto the cargo ship and roll off once it arrives in the U.S. The port of Baltimore is the largest port for those kinds of ships in the country.
"It's going to create a real challenge for people who have to do importation right now, they'll have to re-route ships, and there will be backlogs, problems, delays," Borchers said.
That means European imports like Volkswagen may see shortages that will keep them off the sales lot.
And the impact isn't limited to just foreign cars. The port also brings in heavy construction equipment sent across the country.
And beyond shipping, the collapse will also reroute traditional trucking routes, as we have yet to see the full impact of what happened early Tuesday morning.
We also did a story on the bridges in Tennessee, to see if anything similar could happen to us here. To watch this story from Aaron Cantrell, click the player below.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
