Baltimore Looking at New Cruise Terminal

Can Baltimore increase its leisure travel business in the future? Hum. Sounds like a stretch, but I'm open to some blockbuster ideas that might help. Here's the deal being looked at in the Baltimore area.

Aris Melissaratos, the state economic development secretary, thinks Maryland ought to go aggressively after even more leisure travel business. He wants the state to decide by the end of October whether to endorse entrepreneur Edwin F. Hale's proposal to build a cruise terminal in the Canton industrial area, not far from Interstate 95.

"I personally like that because it allows us to extend the reach of the harbor from Fort McHenry to the Harbor Tunnel crossing," says Mr. Melissaratos.

We are inclined to say, "Go for it." But besides the exact cost - estimates range from $35 million to $50 million - other key questions must be answered. Is the proposed single pier enough to handle the traffic, or should a terminal have two piers? Can enough secure parking be created for several thousand cars?

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