Officials are now fully focused on the cleanup and reconstruction phase following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, with search and rescue operations having concluded. Engineering and salvage specialists predict that the debris, which is obstructing a crucial shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore, will be cleared in a few weeks. However, federal and state officials warned that the reconstruction of the bridge would take time.
Clearing the debris
The largest working crane in the US Eastern Seaboard loomed above Baltimore’s port on Friday, prepared to start removing debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed into the water just days after a cargo ship struck it.
By Friday noon, crews were still assessing the damage. Speaking for the US Coast Guard, Carmen Carver, said that the crane—which has a 1,000-ton lifting capacity—arrived late on Thursday night and will likely begin removing debris from the ocean early on Saturday morning.
She said that a second crane is on its way and should be there shortly to help in the endeavor.
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
The bridge collapse on Tuesday, caused by a 985-foot-long ship that struck a critical component of the structure, has rocked Baltimore and the shipping industry at large.
Six men, all construction workers who were working on filling potholes on the bridge, were missing after the collapse, and the bodies of two of them were found on Wednesday. Officials have called off the search for the other missing men, who are presumed dead, saying divers can no longer reach the area where they believe more victims remain, and moved to a cleanup operation.