BALTIMORE — Hundreds of thousands of cars and trucks pass through Baltimore's tunnels each day.
Even more since the Key Bridge fell, creating a traffic nightmare and a policing increase.
Here's how MDTA is handling the increase in traffic
"We've increased our focus on hazardous materials using the tunnels. We've partnered with the Maryland Department of Environment, Maryland State Police, the FMCSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Association. The officers come out here to assist us with high visibility enforcement," said Corporal Kevine Burke with the Commercial Enforcement Response Team at MDTA.
MDTA police have received more tips on hazardous materials in the last year and a half, but not an increase in prohibited materials driving through the tunnels.
"We've not seen an increase in hazardous materials that are not allowed to use the tunnels. It's the same hazards that have been used in the tunnels. There have been concerns trucks will switch out their placards that identify which materials they have on board to make it seem like they're transporting materials that are allowed when they're not," said Burke.
For those people, commercial vehicle inspections stop them.
"We stop a vehicle for a commercial vehicle inspection, we're looking at what they're hauling. If it is a placarded load or something like that, we'll match up what they're identifying that they're hauling with their shipping papers to make sure that's what they're actually hauling," said Burke. "We're looking for driver's violations, their record of duty status, making sure they're not over their hours," he added.
Corporal Burke says despite the increase in tips of hazardous materials traveling through the tunnels, none of the photographs he's analyzed are prohibited materials.
