BALTIMORE (AP) — A team of engineers is working Saturday on the complex process of cutting and lifting the first sections of the building. twisted steel from Collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Maryland
The bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River Tuesday after the crash. A huge cargo ship crashed One of its major supports.
Workers are carefully measuring and cutting steel. broken bridge U.S. Coast Guard Maj. Gen. Shannon Gilreath said Saturday before strapping it on so it could be hoisted onto a barge and set adrift.
Seven floating cranes, including a giant crane that can lift 1,000 tons, are in the waters southeast of Baltimore, and 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats are on the scene. Masu.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said each move will determine what happens next and how long it will take to ultimately clear all the debris and reopen shipping lanes and the blocked Port of Baltimore. He said it will affect how much it takes.
“I cannot overstate how important this initial movement of the bridge and wreckage is today. This is going to be a very complex process,” Moore said.
Long-time Baltimore resident Randy Lichtenberg and others were undeterred by the morning's chilly weather, taking photos with their cellphones or just quietly watching. Fragments of a broken bridge Its weight, including the steel trusses, is 4,000 tons.
“I don't want to be in that water. It must be cold. It's hard work,” Lichtenberg said from a spot along the river called Sparrows Point.
The shock he felt Tuesday morning when he woke up to images of what he called an iconic part of Baltimore's skyline falling into the water was replaced by sadness.
“It doesn't hit that fast. It's unbelievable,” Lichtenberg said.
what happens next
One of the crew's first goals on the water is to open a channel for smaller auxiliary vessels so that tugs and other small barges can move freely. Crews also hope to stabilize the scene so divers can continue searching for the four missing workers, who are presumed dead.
Two workers were rescued from the water in the hours after the bridge collapsed early Tuesday, and two more bodies were recovered from a pickup truck that fell into the river. They were filling holes in the bridge and police were able to stop vehicle traffic after the ship called a mayday, but police were unable to get to the scene. construction worker They were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.
The crew of the cargo ship Dali, managed by Synergy Marine Group, remains on board, along with debris from the surrounding bridge. They are safe and are being interviewed. They are continuing to move the ship because it needs to be removed from the channel once more debris is cleared. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Limited and chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.
The collision and collapse appear to have occurred after the ship lost power. Federal and state investigators are still trying to figure out why.
Adam Ortiz, director of the Environmental Protection Agency's Mid-Atlantic region, allayed concerns about possible contamination from the crash, saying there was no indication the ship was actively releasing water into the ocean. Substances harmful to human health.
Rebuilding
Officials are also trying to figure out how to deal with the economic impact of closing ports and cutting major highways. This bridge was completed in his 1977 year and carried Interstate 695 around southeastern Baltimore.
Maryland transportation officials are planning to rebuild the bridge, pledging to consider innovative designs and building materials to shorten what could be a years-long project.
President Joe Biden's administration approved $60 million in immediate aid and pledged that the federal government would pay for all rebuilding costs.
Marine traffic at the Port of Baltimore remains suspended, but the Maryland Port Authority said trucks are still being processed at marine terminals.
The loss of roads and port disruptions, which carry 30,000 vehicles per day, will impact not only thousands of longshoremen and commuters, but also U.S. consumers. Impact of delivery delays. The port handles more automobiles and farm equipment than any other facility in the United States.
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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Associated Press reporter Sarah Brumfield in Washington, D.C. Christine M. Hall of Nashville, Tennessee; Adrian Sainz of Memphis, Tennessee; and Lisa Bauman of Bellingham, Washington. contributed to this report.