Maryland Department of Commerce

And cargo volumes are expected to increase again thanks to the expansion of Baltimore’s Howard Street rail tunnel, a long-gestating infrastructure project that will allow double-stacked containers to travel from the port via cargo train. The $466 million project, which broke ground in 2021, is expected to create 6,500 construction jobs and lead to an additional 7,300 jobs due to increased activity at the Port of Baltimore upon completion. “With its incredible assets and strong foundation for innovation and economic growth, Maryland is preparing not just to meet the challenges of the future, but to overcome them and thrive,” Anderson said. “By using our existing strengths to attract new opportunities to our state, we’re positioning ourselves to stand toe-to-toe with any other state in the nation, while empowering our historically underserved communities like never before.” will have convenient access to major consumer markets, as well as several highways and ground and freight hubs,” Anderson said when the project was announced in October. The benefits of Maryland’s strategic location also include access to the Port of Baltimore which sits farther west–and therefore closer to the midwest– than any other port on the East Coast. And while the supply-chain disruptions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic caused delays at many U.S. ports, the Port was able to accommodate a higher volume of cargo as many ships were diverted from other destinations to ease congestion. This effort was bolstered by the arrival of four massive Neo- Panamax cranes in late 2021, each of which can lift up to 187,000 pounds of cargo. The Port of Baltimore reached a new cargo volume record in fiscal 2023, with 11.6 million tons of general cargo moved, and ranks No. 1 among the nation’s ports for the volume of autos and light trucks moved. Kevin Anderson 6 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 12