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BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland transportation leaders on Thursday approved a contract for rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge several months after the 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometer) steel span collapsed under the impact of a massive container ship that lost power and crashed into one of its supporting columns. In the immediate aftermath of the deadly March 26 collapse, officials quickly promised to rebuild the bridge — a longstanding Baltimore landmark and vital piece of transportation infrastructure. They cited a 2028 completion date and estimated the project would cost $1.7 billion and would include significantly more pier protection to better defend against future wayward ships. At a monthly meeting Thursday morning, the Maryland Transportation Authority board awarded a $73 million contract for the first phase of the project to Kiewit Infrastructure, which calls itself “one of North America’s largest and most respected engineering and construction organizations.” Bruce Gartner, executive director of the Maryland Transportation Authority, said the contract award signifies a big step forward in the recovery and rebuild process. “This really represents such an order of magnitude bigger than all our previous milestones,” he said in an interview Thursday. He said the agency hopes to release renderings of a preliminary design within the next few months, which will give the public an idea of what the new bridge will look like. Kiewit was founded in 1884 to provide masonry services in Omaha, Nebraska, according to its website. Its notable past projects include the Fort McHenry Tunnel under Baltimore’s harbor, which opened in 1985. More drivers have been using the tunnel since the bridge collapse eliminated one of three water crossings that allowed them to bypass downtown Baltimore. Gartner said the state has worked with Kiewit before and that the company has managed construction of major water crossings with maritime activity similar to the Key Bridge. “We look forward to partnering with the Maryland Transportation Authority, many local subcontractors and suppliers, and our strong craft workforce to safely deliver and restore this vital transportation link in the city of Baltimore and the greater region,” the company said in a statement Thursday. In announcing their recommendation to the board, state transportation officials said the company’s proposal was ranked first for its technical contents despite being somewhat more expensive than others. Officials said the project will advance in two phases, with the first focusing on the design work and other necessary steps before construction begins, which could include demolition of the remaining pieces of the bridge that are still standing. Phase one is expected to be completed within a year. Kiewit will have “exclusive negotiating rights” for the second phase, transportation officials said in a statement following the board meeting. “In the event a guaranteed maximum price is not agreed upon, the MDTA will deliver the work under a separate contracting mechanism,” the statement read. Officials have said the new bridge will be somewhat taller than the old one to accommodate ever-larger ships entering Baltimore’s harbor. The original Key Bridge took five years to construct and opened in 1977. The March bridge collapse killed six members of a road work crew who were filling potholes on the bridge when it came crashing down into the water below. Baltimore’s busy port was closed for months after the collapse and increased traffic congestion in the region remains a problem for drivers. An FBI investigation is ongoing into the circumstances leading up to the collapse, including power outages experienced by the cargo ship Dali while it was still docked in Baltimore. The state transportation board also on Thursday approved a proposal to remit the proceeds from a recent $350 million insurance payout to the federal government. They called the decision a show of good faith as discussions continue about whether the federal government will cover 100% of the cleanup and rebuilding costs. Chubb, the company that insured the bridge, made the $350 million payout to the state, officials said this week. Ongoing litigation will ultimately determine other assignments of liability in the bridge collapse, which could become one of the most expensive maritime disasters in U.S. history. Impacted businesses have joined Baltimore’s mayor and city council in filing claims arguing the owner and manager of the Dali should have to pay damages. Underwood Energy, a Baltimore-based company that transports hazardous materials, filed a new claim Thursday based on revenue losses associated with the bridge collapse. Hazmat trucks are not allowed in two tunnels under the Baltimore harbor, so those vehicles “now must make a 30-mile detour to cross the Patapsco River,” the complaint says. The federal government generally picks up 90% of the tab and the state 10% when replacing disaster-damaged interstate highways and bridges, but the Biden administration and members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are pushing congressional lawmakers to approve a 100% reimbursement. Officials have said they expect that federal taxpayers will eventually be made whole for replacing the bridge through insurance payouts and damages, but that may take a while.

​​WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is recommending stronger state and federal regulations for motor carriers — particularly concerning driver hours of service — following a report on a fatal collision between a semi-truck and a bus that took place in December 2022 in Williamsburg, Virginia, which resulted in three deaths and multiple injuries.​ “The NTSB determined that the truck driver’s lack of response to the slower-moving bus was due to fatigue from excess driving time and lack of sleep opportunity,” the NTSB said in a media release. “The truck’s motor carrier, Triton Logistics, created fictitious driver accounts for its vehicles’ electronic logging device systems that allowed drivers to exceed federal hours-of-service regulations and drive while fatigued. The investigation also determined that the bus’s significantly slower speed contributed to the severity of the crash.” According to a press release, the crash occurred on Dec. 16, 2022 when the semi-truck collided with the rear of the slower-moving bus on Interstate 64. The bus was traveling at 20 to 25 miles per hour in the right lane, while the truck was traveling at 65 to 70 miles per hour with cruise control engaged. The speed limit on I-64 is 70 miles per hour. “The truck driver did not brake or take any evasive action as the truck approached the bus,” the release said. “The collision caused the roof and sidewalls of the bus to detach, exposing the occupants. The bus then rotated, crossed the lane, and breached the guardrail. As a result, three bus occupants died, nine occupants and the truck driver sustained serious injuries, and 11 bus occupants sustained minor injuries.” As a result of the investigation, the NTSB is issuing six new recommendations and reiterating three previous recommendations. New recommendations include: The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should strengthen electronic logging device requirements to prevent opportunities for the creation of fake driver accounts. The Commonwealth of Virginia should offer management safety guidance to new intrastate motor carrier licensees covering license class, drug and alcohol testing, fatigue management, vehicle maintenance, and safe commercial vehicle operation. Triton Logistics should implement a process to regularly verify the accuracy of drivers’ records of duty, implement a robust fatigue management program, and proactively use onboard inward- and forward-facing video event recording to improve driver training. The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance should use this crash to educate its members on the importance of safeguarding the electronic logging device system to prevent falsification of information. Reiterated recommendations include: ​The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration should complete the development and application of performance standards for the assessment of forward collision avoidance systems in commercial vehicles. NHTSA should also require that all buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds be equipped with onboard video recorders that record parametric data associated with an event. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration should provide guidance to motor carriers on the use of onboard video recordings to ensure driver compliance with regulations and safe operations. The full report on crash investigation is available on the NTSB’s website. To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).

According to reports from Canadian news outlets, a semi truck plunged off a highway bridge into a lake in Sicamous, British Columbia, east of Kamloops. Officials said Sunday afternoon, Aug. 25, that the driver’s remains and the vehicle’s wreckage have both been recovered. Sicamous RCMP said in a press release on Saturday that their original response time was around 6:45 a.m., and that it was believed that the driver was the only person in the rig. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District (CSRD) and Sicamous Mayor Colleen Anderson say they wish to share their condolences with the driver’s family and friends. “It’s tragic, and our thoughts are with them right now,” Anderson said. The driver has yet to be publicly identified. The Bruhn Bridge, which runs along Highway 1, was closed in both directions for most of the day Saturday, according to reports. It was re-opened in the afternoon under controlled conditions with a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour, as reported by DriveBC. “It’s a major transportation route,” Anderson said. “Our goods and service supplies go down [Highway] 1, so it’s imperative that we get that open and moving.” The CSRD added that repairs will begin on the bridge on Monday, after the RCMP reported that the bridge deck sustained “significant damage.” According to reports, before Saturday’s crash, there was a plan to replace the Bruhn Bridge, which is over 60 years old, with a new one that could support four lanes. The province’s project website states that construction is expected to start this fall. Anderson told CBC News Sunday that she “doesn’t see any changes” to that plan due to the crash. But, she said, it’s still important to repair the current bridge since the new one is expected to take around three years to build. “I think it’s still full steam ahead,” she said. “It’s a project that needs to move forward.” The B.C. Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure said in a statement to CBC News Sunday afternoon that its staff are still investigating the damage to the bridge and are currently unable to comment on whether this changes the scope and timeline of the project. Tracy Hughes, the CSRD’s communications coordinator, told CBC News that the truck fell into the Mara Lake side of the bridge in an area locally known as the Sicamous Channel, where Mara Lake and Shuswap Lake meet. The province’s Ministry of Environment continues to assess the impact of diesel spilled from the truck and work on clean-up measures Sunday, the CSRD said. It has also said that Interior Health was alerted about the spill, but there doesn’t appear to be a significant risk to the area’s drinking water supplies. The truck’s cargo also doesn’t pose any public health hazard, according to the district. The CSRD and Anderson also asked the public to continue avoiding the area Sunday. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation contributed to this report. 

TORONTO — Freight trains in Canada could be running again within days after the government forced the country’s two major railroads into arbitration with their labor union Thursday, Aug. 22, a move aimed at averting potentially dire economic consequences across Canada and in the U.S. if the trains are sidelined for a long period. The government’s action came more than 16 hours after Canadian National (CN) and CPKC locked out workers over a labor agreement impasse. Both railroads said they would work to get trains moving again as soon as possible. The Teamsters Canada union, representing 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers, responded angrily to the order, accusing the railroads of intentionally creating a crisis to force the government to intervene. It also said it would keep its picket lines in place while reviewing the decision. The government ordered the railroads into arbitration with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference to end the lockout that began at 12:01 a.m. Thursday after the two sides were unable to resolve the contract dispute. Canada’s Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon announced the decision to order the arbitration at a news conference Thursday. MacKinnon said he expects the trains will resume moving within days. Ending the lockouts is the first step. The arbitration process was moving quickly, with the railroads meeting with the Canada Industrial Relations Board on Thursday night, according to a person familiar with the schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss it. The Teamsters confirmed that the union was also meeting with the board Thursday night. Throughout the day Thursday, both sides negotiated unsuccessfully while workers picketed outside and business groups urged the government to force the arbitration. Teamsters Canada Rail Conference President Paul Boucher criticized the government’s decision to step in so soon. “The two major railways in Canada manufactured this crisis, took the country hostage, and manipulated the government to once again disregard the rights afforded to working-class Canadians,” Boucher said. “The Teamsters Canada Rail Conference (TCRC) is deeply disappointed by this shameful decision.” The railroad companies hailed the decision, saying the government had no choice. “The Canadian government has recognized the immense consequences of a railway work stoppage for the Canadian economy, North American supply chains and all Canadians,” said Keith Creel, CPKC’s president and CEO. “The government has acted to protect Canada’s national interest. We regret that the government had to intervene because we fundamentally believe in and respect collective bargaining; however, given the stakes for all involved, this situation required action.” Lockout poses risk to supply chain, economy MacKinnon said the government wanted to give negotiations every chance to succeed, but ultimately the economic risk was too great to allow the lockouts to continue. He had declined to order arbitration a week ago. “Canada’s economy cannot wait for an agreement that has been delayed for a very long time and when there is a fundamental disagreement between the parties,” he said. All of Canada’s freight handled by rail — worth more than $1 billion Canadian (US$730 million) a day and adding up to more than 375 million tons of freight last year — stopped Thursday along with rail shipments crossing the U.S. border. About 30,000 commuters in Canada were also affected because their trains use CPKC’s lines. CPKC and CN’s trains continued operating in the U.S. and Mexico during the lockout. Many companies in both countries and across all industries rely on railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products, so they were concerned about a crisis without regular rail service. Billions of dollars of goods move between Canada and the U.S. via rail each month, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Trudeau decided not to force the parties into binding arbitration before the deadline passed for fear of offending unions and the leftist NDP party that his government relies on for support to remain in power, but he ultimately decided he didn’t have a choice. “Collective bargaining is always the best way forward. When that is no longer a foreseeable option — when we are facing serious consequences to our supply chains and the workers who depend on it — governments must act,” Trudeau said. Impact on supply chain, commuters Most businesses probably have enough supplies on hand and room to store finished products to withstand a brief disruption. But ports and other railroads would have quickly become clogged with stranded shipments that CN and CPKC won’t pick up. Many companies made supply chain changes after the COVID-19 pandemic that can help them withstand a short disruption, said Edward Jones analyst Jeff Windau. The real trouble starts if it drags on, he said. Most previous Canadian rail stoppages have only lasted a day or two and usually involved only one of the big railroads, but some have stretched as long as eight or nine days. The impact was magnified this time because both railroads had stopped. “They are so integrated and tied into the economy,” Windau said. “Just the breadth of products that they haul. … Ultimately, I think we need the rails to continue to be running.” Chemical businesses and food distributors would have been the first to be affected. The railroads stopped accepting new shipments of hazardous materials and perishable goods as they began gradually shutting down last week, but most chemical plants had said they would be OK for about a week. The auto industry also may have seen problems quickly because it relies on just-in-time shipments, with significant cross-border deliveries of engines, parts and finished vehicles. Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association, posted on X that about four of every five cars made in Canada are exported to the U.S. almost exclusively by rail. He said a prolonged lockout could cause temporary work stoppages similar to the impact of the five-day 2022 Ambassador Bridge blockade. More than 30,000 commuters in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal were the first to feel the pain of the lockouts and they may be stuck taking the bus again Friday. Their commuter trains are unable to operate while CPKC dispatchers are locked out. CN had been negotiating with the Teamsters for nine months while CPKC had been trying to reach an agreement for a year, the union said. Sticking points The Canadian negotiations are stuck on issues related to the way rail workers are scheduled and concerns about rules designed to prevent fatigue and provide adequate rest to train crews. Both railroads had proposed shifting away from the existing system, which pays workers based on the miles in a trip, to an hourly system that they said would make it easier to provide predictable time off. The union said it doesn’t want to lose hard-fought fatigue protections. The railroads said their contract offers have included raises consistent with recent deals in the industry. Engineers already make about $150,000 a year on Canadian National while conductors earn $120,000, and CPKC says its wages are comparable. By Rob Gillies and Josh Funk, The Associated Press. Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani in Buellton, California, contributed to this report.

TORONTO — Both of Canada’s major freight railroads have come to a full stop because of a contract dispute with their workers, an impasse that could bring significant economic harm to businesses and consumers in Canada and the U.S. if the trains don’t resume running soon. Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific Kansas City(CPKC) railroads both locked out their employees after the deadline of 12:01 a.m. Eastern Thursday, Aug. 22, passed without new agreements with the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference that represents some 10,000 engineers, conductors and dispatchers. All rail traffic in Canada and all shipments crossing the U.S. border have stopped, although CPKC and CN’s trains will continue to operate in the U.S. and Mexico. Billions of dollars of goods each month move between Canada and the U.S. via rail, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. “If rail traffic grinds to a halt, businesses and families across the country will feel the impact,” Jay Timmons, president and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers, said in a statement. “Manufacturing workers, their communities and consumers of all sorts of products will be left reeling from supply chain disruptions.” Manufacturing companies may have to scale back or even shut down production if they can’t get rail service, while ports and grain elevators will quickly become clogged with shipments waiting to move. And if the dispute drags on for a couple weeks, water treatment plants all across Canada might have to scramble without new shipments of chlorine. “If railways are not picking up the goods that are coming in by ships, then pretty soon your terminals get filled up. And at that point you cannot take any vessels at the terminal anymore,” said Victor Pang, chief financial officer at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. He pointed to the 13-day strike by 7,400 British Columbia dockworkers last summer, which manufacturers said blocked the flow of $500 million Canadian (US$368 million) worth of goods each day. Some companies would undoubtedly turn to trucking to keep some of their products moving, but there’s no way to make up for the volume railroads deliver. It would take some 300 trucks to haul everything just one train can carry. There will be other impacts as well, including on the more than 30,000 commuters in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal who will be scrambling to find a new way into work because their trains won’t be able to operate over CPKC’s tracks while the railroad is shut down. Business groups had urged the government to intervene, but Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has declined to force both sides into arbitration yet. CN said it was waiting for a response on one final offer made late Wednesday when it locked the workers out. CPKC spokesperson Patrick Waldron said the union rejected its last offer that CEO Keith Creel made at the table in person. Both railroads have said they would end the lockout if the union agreed to binding arbitration. “Despite the lockout, the Teamsters remain at the bargaining table with both companies,” the union said in a statement. CN had been negotiating with the Teamsters for nine months while CPKC had been trying to reach an agreement for a year, the unions said. Many companies across all industries rely on railroads to deliver their raw materials and finished products, so without regular rail service they may have to cut back or even close. That’s why the U.S. government kept rail workers from going on strike two years ago and forced them to accept a contract despite their concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time. Canada’s railroads have sometimes shut down briefly in the past during contract negotiations — most recently CPKC was offline for a couple days in March 2022 — but it is rare for both railroads to stop at the same time. The impact on businesses will be magnified because both CN and CPKC have stopped. Both CN and CPKC had been gradually shutting down since last week ahead of the contract deadline. Shipments of hazardous chemicals and perishable goods were the first to stop, so they wouldn’t be stranded somewhere on the tracks. As the Canadian contract talks were coming down to the wire, one of the biggest U.S. railroads, CSX, broke with the U.S. freight rail industry’s longstanding practice of negotiating jointly for years with the unions. CSX reached a deal with several of its 13 unions that cover 25% of its workers ahead of the start of national bargaining later this year. The new five-year contracts will provide 17.5% raises, better benefits and vacation time if they are ratified. The unions that have signed deals with CSX include part of the SMART-TD union representing conductors in one region, the Transportation Communications Union, the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen and the Transport Workers Union. TCU President Artie Maratea said he’s proud that his union reached a deal “without years of unnecessary delay and stall tactics.” Trudeau has been reluctant to force arbitration because he doesn’t want to offend the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference and other unions, but he urged both sides to reach a deal Wednesday because of the tremendous economic damage that would follow a full shutdown. “It is in the best interest of both sides to continue doing the hard work at the table,” Trudeau said to reporters in Gatineau, Quebec. “Millions of Canadians, workers, farmers, businesses, right across the country, are counting on both sides to do the work and get to a resolution.” Numerous business groups have been urging Trudeau to act. Trudeau said Labor Minister Steven MacKinnon met with both sides in the CN talks in Montreal on Tuesday and would be on hand for the CPKC talks in Calgary, Alberta. MacKinnon later said he wrapped up his meetings with the rail companies and the Teamsters. ‘Workers, farmers, commuters and businesses can’t wait. Canadians need urgency at the table. The parties need to get deals done now,” he posted on the social platform X. The negotiations are stuck on issues related to the way rail workers are scheduled and concerns about rules designed to prevent fatigue and provide adequate rest to train crews. Both railroads had proposed shifting away from the existing system, which pays workers based on the miles in a trip, to an hourly system they said would make it easier to provide predictable time off. The railroads said their contract offers have included raises consistent with recent deals in the industry. Engineers make about $150,000 a year on Canadian National while conductors earn $120,000, and CPKC says its wages are comparable. Similar quality-of-life concerns about demanding schedules and the lack of paid sick time nearly led to a U.S. rail strike two years ago until Congress and President Joe Biden intervened and forced the unions to accept a deal. By Rob Gillies and Josh Funk, the Associated Press. Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska.

OTAY MESA, Calif. — In what could possibly be described as a seedy situation, officers at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s (CBP) Otay Mesa Commercial Facility discovered more than $5 million worth of amphetamine masquerading as watermelons Aug. 20. A 29-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer attempted to enter the U.S. from Mexico with a shipment of watermelons. During the secondary inspection, the watermelons were offloaded for closer examination. During the search, CBP officers uncovered 1,220 packages wrapped in paper and disguised as watermelons hidden among the actual melons. The contents of the packages were identified as methamphetamine with a total weight of 4,587 pounds and an estimated street value of more than $5 million. The meth, truck and trailer were seized by the CBP, and the driver was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations. “I am incredibly proud of our team for their exceptional work over the past few weeks in uncovering sophisticated and diverse smuggling methods,” said Rosa E. Hernandez, port director for the Area Port of Otay Mesa. “As drug cartels continue to evolve their smuggling techniques, we will continue finding new and better ways to prevent these dangerous drugs and other contraband from entering the country.” Authorities have discovered illicit substances hidden within other produce shipments this month, most notably celery. On Aug. 9, officials at the Otay Mesa facility intercepted more than 600 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a load of celery. Also this month, agents with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency reported tracking a celery shipment containing more than 2,300 pounds of methamphetamine from the U.S.-Mexico border to a farmer’s market near Atlanta.