Even before the collapse of an iconic piece of Maryland infrastructure Tuesday, finding the money needed to sustain the state’s critical transportation network was the largest hang-up left in the General Assembly session barreling toward its finish line.

The crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge has only added to the complexity.

“It’s added a lot of uncertainty into what was already an uncertain environment,” said Senate President Bill Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat.

Democrats who control the House and Senate have battled for weeks over how and when to resolve a roughly $3.3 billion, six-year transportation funding shortfall — one that puts at risk everything from new construction to repairs on roads and bridges.

President Joe Biden’s quick pledge for the federal government to cover the entire cleanup and bridge rebuilding in Baltimore’s outer harbor has offset immediate concerns about adding significantly to that long-term deficit.

But lawmakers in Annapolis say it’s still unclear how far-reaching the costs to the state will be. And while those who’ve been pushing for a fix to the long-term transportation issues this year say the tragedy underscores the urgent need to act, those who’ve wanted to wait say it could be a reason to take their time.

“It’s even more important now that we have those thoughtful, deliberate conversations about ‘How are we going to be investing the limited resources that we have?’” said Ferguson, a Baltimore Democrat who has held the line on increasing taxes or fees this year as a way to solve the future deficit.

“Even if we have federal support for a rebuild, all of these other costs and collateral impacts of this incident are, we’re probably not going to know for days, weeks, months, years,” he said.

The annual 90-day session is scheduled to end April 8, and Ferguson said he will introduce emergency legislation to provide financial relief to small businesses and displaced workers affected at the Port of Baltimore.

Other potential emergency bills and the impacts on the budget are up in the air.

...continued

©2024 The Baltimore Sun. Visit at baltimoresun.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.