Some 30,000 vehicles now need a new daily route as the loss of the Francis Scott Key Bridge impacts highway traffic around Baltimore.

Department of Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said that Tuesday commutes will be slow.

“Tomorrow we expect heavy traffic in the Baltimore region during the morning and evening rush hours as students head back to class and commuters return to their routines,” Wiedefeld said at a news conference Monday. “I strongly recommend everyone to prepare for extra travel time.”

The Key Bridge, which spanned the Patapsco River in Baltimore’s outer harbor, collapsed early last Tuesday morning after it was hit by the Dali, a cargo ship that lost power shortly after leaving the Port of Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka.

Wiedefeld said the State Highway Administration adjusted traffic signals on Maryland Route 2, Ritchie Highway, and Maryland Route 157, the Peninsula Expressway, in an effort to reduce local traffic.

He said at a news conference Thursday about 15,000 additional vehicles above normal went through the Harbor Tunnel on Wednesday. The bridge carried more than 12.4 million commercial and passenger vehicles in 2023 or nearly 34,000 trips a day, according to a report by the Maryland Transportation Authority from 2023.

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Lt. Col. Corey McKenzie said the Maryland Transit Administration Police Department will have an “increased presence” around the Fort McHenry and Baltimore Harbor tunnels enforcing a ban on vehicles transporting hazardous materials, which are asked to take the western section of Interstate 695.

The Baltimore Harbor Tunnel prohibits vehicles taller than 13.5 feet and wider than 8 feet; the Fort McHenry Tunnel prohibits vehicles taller than 14.5 feet and wider than 11 feet.

“Your daily route to work or school may have changed, but traffic safety remains our priority,” McKenzie said at a news conference Monday.

Baltimore County Public Schools spokesperson Charles Herndon said a “small number” of routes have to be altered.

Maryland Transit Authority spokespersons said bus routes didn’t experience delays last week and are not affected by the absence of the bridge.

“MTA did not have any routes impacted by the Key Bridge collapse,” spokesperson Paul Shepard said Monday.

I-695 exits are closed on either side of the bridge. Exit 1 on the inner loop at Maryland Route 157 and Exit 43 at Maryland Route 173 are shut down.