PORTSMOUTH, Va. — Gov. Youngkin and other state and regional leaders sat in on a briefing from the Port of Virginia on Friday morning.
Afterward, Youngkin released a statement praising the collaboration over the past ten days.
"Hampton Roads residents and all Virginians can be confident we are prepared to manage this and keep trade moving in the face of unforeseen challenges,” he said.
Norfolk
Port of Virginia offering support to Baltimore after Key Bridge collapse
The Port has been gearing up to accept more cargo ships while the Port of Baltimore remains closed and has said they can handle more traffic.
On Friday afternoon, President Biden and other federal leaders toured the damage in Baltimore.
"My task force on supply chains has been engaging with unions, rail, shipping, trucking, state and local leaders to minimize the impact on our supply chains," said Biden.
With the Port of Virginia becoming busier, VDOT says they're expecting more trucks to be on the roads with about 500 more trips anticipated per day, but they say local roads should be able to handle that.
National News
Gov. Youngkin assesses Hampton Roads bridge risks after Baltimore collapse
Sec. of Transportation Pete Buttigieg says the White House has been working to prevent interruptions to supply chains.
"While there are certainly impacts, we are increasingly confident about the availability of east coast ports to step up temporarily to absorb much of the cargo diverting from Baltimore in the short term," said Buttigieg.
It will be like this for some time, the Army Corp. of Engineers says they hope a limited channel will reopen in Baltimore by the end of the month with it fully reopening by the end of May.
"Opening the channel and rebuilding the bridge are both remarkably complex operations that can't happen overnight," said Buttigieg. "But as President Biden has instructed from day one, the federal government will provide everything Maryland needs."
