More trucks roll through NY, NJ ports after Baltimore bridge collapse

July 4, 2024

The collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore caused a spike in the number of trucks rolling in and out of New York Harbor’s seaports, according to Port Authority data.

Baltimore’s port closed on March 26 after a cargo vessel struck one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the whole crossing to collapse. Cargo ships were unable to move in or out of the waterway until June 12, when the wreckage was cleared…

Clinton Andrews, director of Rutgers University’s Center for Urban Policy Research, said people closest to the ports are breathing “highly localized” particulate pollution, or unburned carbon that comes out of exhaust pipes and is too heavy to disperse into the atmosphere.

“An important dimension of this potential impact from the increased truck traffic is what you might call a microclimatic impact,” Andrews said. “In other words, more intense pollution levels directly along the streets that are bearing the brunt of the traffic and not much difference further away.”

That means, he said, pollution is staying on local streets where more trucks might drive through. Gaddy noted that thousands of trucks drive through local roads on any given day in Newark.

Increased exposure to particulate matter also increases the frequency and severity of asthma attacks, wheezing and cardiac problems for people with pre-existing conditions. Trucks also emit pollutants like nitrogen dioxide.

A January 2017 study by the Environmental Protection Agency found 1 in 4 children in Newark have asthma, which is three times the average rate of New Jersey as a whole. The EPA also reports asthma is the leading cause of absenteeism for school-aged children in Newark.

The Elizabeth City Council in 2019 passed an ordinance that prohibited vehicles weighing more than four tons from traveling through certain local streets in the town as a means to prevent isolated pollution, but Andrews said the measure is difficult to enforce.

“This is a problem that’s recognized and an enforcement mechanism is in place, and it just needs to be implemented regularly,” Andrews said.

Gothamist, July 4, 2024

 

Recent Posts

Nashia Basit (MPP/MCRP ’24) Named 2025 NLC-NJ Fellow

The Bloustein School's Nashia Basit (MPP/MCRP '24) was one of 22 applicants selected as a 2025 New Leaders Council New Jersey (NLC-NJ) fellow. NLC-NJ is the statewide chapter of the nation’s largest organization that develops, connects, and uplifts inclusive,...

Andrews Explains How Climate Risks Impact Insurance in NJ

Insurance companies are hiking costs, dropping N.J. homeowners more often due to climate risks By Steven Rodas | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com You can look to the rising seas, raging wildfires and the lack of snow. A harbinger for the changing climate has also arrived...

The Future of NJ Journalism: Evolution, Not Extinction

A new two-part study written by Marc H. Pfeiffer examines the evolving landscape of state and local journalism in New Jersey during a critical transition from print to digital news delivery and challenges those changes mean for the publication of “official notices.”...

Report Release: R/ECON Forecast Winter 2025

By Will Irving READ REPORT R/ECON’s economic forecast for New Jersey as 2024 drew to a close once again shows a slowing trajectory, with annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2025 projected to slow more sharply than in the prior forecast. This is true even as...

NJSPL: Key Insights on NJ College Completion

By Angie Nga Le In December 2024, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center released a report on credential attainment among college students nationwide[1]. The six-year completion rate in New Jersey continued its upward trajectory, with the 2018 cohort...

Upcoming Events

Event Series Student Services

Bloustein Librarian Open Office Hours

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Have a research or library question you need assistance with? Visit Open Office Hours with Bloustein Librarian Julia Maxwell. Every Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the Civic Square […]

Event Series Student Services

Bloustein Librarian Open Office Hours

Bloustein School, Civic Square Building 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Have a research or library question you need assistance with? Visit Open Office Hours with Bloustein Librarian Julia Maxwell. Every Tuesday from 12:00 - 1:00 pm in the Civic Square […]

Event Series Informatics

Innovation vs. Imitation: Can AI Truly Create?

Microsoft, 885 2nd Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10017 885 Second Avenue, 34th Floor, New York, NY, United States

Rutgers experts will lead a discussion on the challenges and potential of AI in the creatives industry. Please join us for alumni networking and a continental breakfast beginning at 8:30 […]