This audio is automatically generated. Please let us know if you have any comments.
As the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge drew worldwide attention to Baltimore on Tuesday, first responders continued a rescue and recovery effort and the president pledged support to rebuild the structure.
First responders spent much of Tuesday searching for six construction crew members who were performing normal road maintenance work on the bridge when it immediately sank into the Patapsco River after a freighter collided with one of its supports.
“The crew that was out there working was basically fixing the potholes,” Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld said during a news conference Tuesday. He noted that there were no known structural problems that contributed to the collapse. Maryland Governor Wes Moore said that Key Bridge was up to code.
Crews rescued two people Tuesday morning, one unharmed and one in serious condition, according to reports. But the six workers who were on the bridge during the collapse remained missing as of Tuesday afternoon.
The The missing workers were reportedly part of a night work crew employed by Brawner Builders, according to the Baltimore Banner. The Hunt Valley, Md.-based general contractor did not immediately respond to Construction Dive’s request for comment.
The bridge, which carried I-695 through the region, is a vital artery for the greater Baltimore area and the canal serves as a critical pathway to the busy Port of Baltimore.
Shrink the background
The Singapore-flagged cargo ship Dali appeared to lose power twice while traveling through the channel early Tuesday morning, according to news reports, and the ship’s speed dropped to 8 knots, or about 9 mph. said Moore during the press conference.
Slow speeds can limit the ability to large ships to steer effectively, but still be fast enough to cause major damage in the event of a collision. A ship’s course may also be more influenced by tides and currents when traveling at slow speeds.
In news photos of the scene, the ship’s port – or port – anchor also appeared to be deployed, an action sailors can take in an emergency to stop a ship’s movement. The ship hit the bridge around 1:30 a.m., causing the span on which workers were performing maintenance to sink into the 47-degree Fahrenheit water of the river below.
The spandrel bridge was a three-span continuous steel truss bridge, so the piers used to support the bridge shared the load, according to Rachel Sangree, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering and Johns Hopkins University Systems.
“It was certainly a huge ship compared to the pier itself, so it couldn’t be expected to withstand that impact,” Sangree told Construction Dive in an interview. “To take out one of those support piers, it’s no wonder the bridge collapsed the way it did.”
Sangree also pointed out Sunshine Skyway Bridge Collapse in Florida in 1980. The Tampa Bay stretch was similarly ruptured when it was struck by a cargo ship in a disaster that claimed 35 lives.
As a result of this catastrophe, specifications were made on bridges over canals to protect piers and implement a warning system to alert drivers and prevent them from crossing, Sangree said. The Key Bridge was built in 1977, before these requirements were in place.
Still, the crew of the Dalí made a call in May about power problems and their loss of control before the accident occurred, allowing local authorities to stop the vehicles before crossing the bridge on Tuesday .
“These people are heroes,” Moore said Tuesday. “They saved lives last night.”
Rebuilding the bridge
Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen said at Moore’s news conference that the National Transportation Safety Board would conduct an investigation into the crash and that U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg would release funds to to the repair and recovery effort soon.
At a news conference Tuesday, President Joe Biden offered condolences, congratulated first responders and emphasized the importance of both the Port of Baltimore and the Key Bridge as vital to the U.S. transit and supply chain. He promised the support of the federal government to finance the reconstruction.
“It is my intention that the federal government pay the full cost of rebuilding this bridge, and I hope that Congress will support my effort,” Biden said.
Asked whether the shipping company, if found guilty, would have to pay for the replacement, Biden said: “It could be, but we’re not going to wait for that to happen.”
Moore indicated there is no timetable yet for replacing the key bridge.
“No one knows how long it will take [re]build that bridge,” he said. However, Moore promised that the span would be rebuilt, but current efforts focused on immediate recovery.
The impact is still unclear
As a result of the sinking, ship traffic flows in and out The port of Baltimore is suspended until further notice.
Baltimore has ranked as the nation’s busiest port for auto and light truck shipments for the past 13 years. In 2023, the port handled a record 847,158 cars and light trucks. The city is valuable to the auto industry because of its position inland on the Chesapeake Bay and rail connections to auto manufacturers in the Midwest.
Meanwhile, 35,000 cars crossed the Key Bridge each day, and Moore acknowledged the impact on Marylanders’ daily commutes.
Biden said at his press conference on Tuesday that clearing the channel so the port can reopen and shipping can continue is the top priority.
Sangree said he hoped the Key Bridge would underscore the immense value of American infrastructure and its ripple effect when it is damaged.
“We don’t wait for the next tragedy to happen to think about the importance of infrastructure,” Sangree said. “We think about it all the time and how a bridge collapse in Baltimore will affect people everywhere.”
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated with information about pier protections and the construction schedule for the Key Bridge.
Julie Strupp and Joe Bousquin contributed to this report.
