On Saturday, workers started cutting and taking out the first part of the wreckage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge that fell into the Patapsco River. It fell after a cargo ship hit it last week.
The action starts the process of getting rid of the twisted steel from the bridge to create a temporary restricted channel for more vessels to enter the water near the collapsed site, as Maryland Governor Wes Moore (D) explained at a press conference on Saturday.
A cargo ship called Dali was heading to Sri Lanka last Tuesday night when it hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to collapse into the water. Officials said the 984-foot ship from Singapore lost power as it tried to leave Baltimore Harbor.
On Saturday, demolition crews used two crane barges to cut the top part of the north side of the collapsed bridge truss. Released video showed sparks flying from the steel as workers used a cutting torch to pierce the steel. The Coast Guard Station Crisfield 29-foot response boat-small crew watched as demolition teams cut the top part of the north side of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge into smaller pieces to be safely removed by crane in the Patapsco River in Baltimore. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
Governor Moore said, "Clearing this section of the collapse will take time, not just hours or days. Once we finish this phase, we can bring in more tugs, barges, and boats to speed up our recovery.
He added, "This isn't just about Maryland; it's about our nation's economy. The port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other port in the country, and about 8,000 dock workers have been directly affected by this collapse."
Moore emphasized that the bridge can't be rebuilt until the wreckage is removed, calling it a "remarkably complex operation."
He also said, “Yesterday, I mentioned that we can't rebuild the bridge until we clear the wreckage, but we'll make it happen. We'll clear the wreckage, move the dolly, and rebuild the Francis Scott bridge."
Four construction workers who were fixing potholes on the bridge when it collapsed are missing and believed to be dead among the wreckage. Two other people were rescued last Tuesday, and the bodies of two workers were later found in a submerged truck.
The search for the missing individuals was stopped on Wednesday due to concrete, debris, and the superstructure near the vehicles.
It's believed to be unsafe for rescue divers due to the conditions, but as soon as it's safe, Col. [Ronald] Butler [Maryland State Police] assured me that they will resume the search," Moore said. Crews on Saturday began the process of cutting and removing the first piece of wreckage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed into the Patapsco River last week after being struck by a cargo ship. The move marks the beginning of an extensive undertaking to remove the twisted steel from the bridge, which will…
“The conditions make it unsafe for rescue divers. But as soon as those conditions change, Col. [Ronald] Butler [Maryland State Police] has assumed me that those rescue divers will be going right back in the water,” he said.
