Hazardous materials truck inspections on the Interstate 895 corridor have almost doubled from June to August, according to data from the Maryland State Police.

The increase follows a Baltimore Banner investigation published July 8 that found hazmat truckers have illegally been using the city’s tunnels after the March 26 collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which had been a central passage for transporting hazmat up and down the East Coast.

The uptick in inspections on I-895 is significant. Some hazmat truckers have been targeting the corridor because it offers direct access to the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel while lacking government weigh stations, where transportation officials check their contents and weight. Without weigh stations, transportation police rely on “mobile spot inspections.”

“Following the collapse of the Key Bridge, the MDTA Police had shifted their focus to its Commercial Vehicle Safety Unit and hazmat inspections at the Baltimore tunnels. The increased inspection numbers can be attributed to the shift in focus at the tunnels and traffic enforcement initiatives,” said MDTA spokesperson Nicole Monroe in an email.

When reporting the July 8 story, Banner journalists observed 40 tanker trucks going through the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel over three hours, including more than a dozen with hazardous materials signage, otherwise known as placards, typically prohibited from driving through the underpasses.

Though truckers are legally required to display hazmat placards, half a dozen truckers interviewed said some are removing them before driving through the tunnels. That leaves police and first responders with significant blind spots. Law enforcement uses placards to help identify possible violations, and first responders need the placards to inform their responses when there is an emergency.

At the time of The Banner’s investigation, law enforcement efforts to curb the practice appeared minimal. In the month following the bridge collapse, authorities conducted only 11 hazmat inspections on I-895 and just two on I-95. Unlike the I-895 corridor, where inspections increased from 23 to 41 from June to August, the I-95 corridor has seen a slight decrease in inspections, from three to two.

The truckers are making a simple calculation, long-haul drivers and industry experts say: Take a 35-mile detour through the increasingly congested Interstate 695 beltway and lose money, or take the tunnels.

Traffic delays may be a minor inconvenience for most drivers, but for truckers it often comes at a significant financial cost. Most are paid by the mile and are not further compensated for slowed traffic or congestion.