PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — The Port of Virginia is jumping in to help the Port of Baltimore.

Cargo ships are being diverted daily to our port after the collapse of the Baltimore’s Key Bridge. That means increased traffic here in Hampton Roads.

Gov. Glenn Youngkin was among a slew of federal, state and local leaders meeting
with port officials and the Virginia Department of Transportation to learn more
about how the port is giving aid.

Cargo was first diverted here just hours after the tragic collapse of the Key Bridge a week ago Tuesday.

“The work that has gone on over the last 10 days in order to support Baltimore from this port has been amazing,” Youngkin said Friday.

Logistically, Baltimore takes on about 9% of the port container market share for the East Coast. That 9% is now being divided between the Port of New York/New Jersey and Virginia.

“The New York/New Jersey Port System is a little over 55% of all of the cargo on the East Coast. Virginia is 25% and Baltimore is less than 9%,” Youngkin said. “And so the Baltimore volume is spreading very comfortably. It’s not causing a national backlog, we can regionally absorb it, but so much of that has to do with the great professionalism of the operations here.”

Youngkin said the biggest impact might be seen on the roads.

“We would expect to see 400 to 500 more trucks,” Youngkin said. “But that really is, in the context of the over 5,000 trucks that are coming in and out every day, about a 10% increase. Folks may see a little more traffic on the roads.”

In the meantime, he is asking for compassion and patience from the folks in Hampton Roads as we take on this extra load.

“This is a time when the best of us rise,” Youngkin said, “and to see these operations and again, to see our harbor pilots, and the Coast Guard and the Navy and the Port of Virginia all work together, it’s extraordinary to see.”

We’re not sure how long the Port of Virginia will be accepting extra cargo, but the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced Thursday they hope to open a “limited access channel” in Baltimore by the end of April—and reopen the entire channel by the end of May.