By CAT MURPHY Capital News Service WASHINGTON — Two and a half years after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, members of Maryland’s congressional delegation are vowing to keep pursuing investments into the Port of Baltimore. The lawmakers met Thursday with port officials, membe rs of the Army Corps of Engineers and other stakeholders to discuss ongoing efforts to modernize the port. They said the Maryland delegation is actively working to secure additional resources for port infrastructure development, despite the U.S. House being out of session. “The House is not supposed to be here,” U.S. Rep. Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., said, referencing the speaker of the House’s decision last week to cancel votes until after the midterm elections. “But you’ll see that team Maryland is here because this is a priority for us.” The March 2024 bridge collapse shut down the Port of Baltimore for nearly three months, choking off one of the largest shipping ports in the country and causing severe economic disruptions. Maryland lawmakers said the port, which is tied to more than 273,000 jobs statewide, is now facing the economic consequences of the import tariffs imposed by the White House, especially those levied against vehicles. “We are down, unfortunately, in the number of cars we are importing through the Port of Baltimore,” Elfreth said. “That’s not an accident. That’s because of this president’s decisions.” Leaders spoke after the meeting about recent investments into the port, including the $495 million Howard Street Tunnel project completed earlier this year. The 131-year-old tunnel’s size had for decades created a bottleneck that limited the port’s economic growth, but the newly expanded tunnel can now accommodate double-stacked freight trains. Members of the Maryland delegation also earlier this year announced nearly $40 million in federal funding to support the development of a new terminal at the port. The terminal, which broke ground in May and is projected to be completed in 2030, is expected to create more than 8,000 new jobs and significantly expand the port’s capacity to handle container cargo. “As long as we keep investing, I think we’re going to see the Port of Baltimore become more and more successful,” U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said. U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., said the delegation has requested additional federal funding for port development. “We worked as a team to submit those requests to the administration, and we’re going to keep pushing for those because we need to keep modernizing the port,” Van Hollen said. “Our goal is to make sure that the Port of Baltimore not only survives but thrives and grows.” ...read more read less