Bridge Collapse Ripples Through Baltimore’s Port Community: ‘How Are We Going to Survive?’

For decades, the Sail Inn has been a mainstay bar and restaurant in this small community, tucked away near the Patapsco River just outside the city of Baltimore.

Many customers who worked at the nearby port came in its doors during their lunch break or to grab a beer after their shift. Other customers drove over from residential communities on the opposite side of the nearby Francis Scott Key Bridge. 

Suddenly, the bridge is gone and the Port of Baltimore—a top-10 U.S. port by container volumes—is indefinitely closed. The collapse of the bridge, which left six people presumed dead, has also upended the futures of the bar, other businesses and workers throughout the region.