Crews have started with 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 eventually help open a temporary restricted channel to get more vessels into the water around the collapse site, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) said during a press conference on Saturday, March 30th.
A cargo ship, named Dali, was on its way to Sri Lanka overnight last Tuesday when it smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to crumble into the water. Officials said the 984-foot Singapore-flagged ship lost power when attempting to leave the Baltimore Harbor.
Demolition crews on Saturday used two crane barges to cut the top portion of the north side of the collapsed bridge truss. Video released by the joint incident command showed sparks flying from the steel as crews used a cutting torch to slice through it.
A Coast Guard Station Crisfield 29-foot response boat-small crew observes as demolition crews cut the top portion of the north side of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge into smaller sections for safe removal by crane in the Patapsco River, in Baltimore. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves/U.S. Coast Guard via AP)
“This is going to take time to clear this section of the collapse. It’s not going to take hours, it’s not going to take days. But once we complete this phase of the work, we can move more tugs and more barges and more boats into the area to accelerate our recovery,” Moore said.
“This is not just about Maryland, this is about our nation’s economy,” he continued. “The port handles more cars and more farm equipment … than any other port inside of this country, and at least 8,000 workers on the docks have jobs that have been directly affected by this collapse.”
Moore reiterated that the bridge cannot be rebuilt until the wreckage is cleared, calling the removal a “remarkably complex operation.”
