Remains of Collapsed Baltimore Key Bridge Erupt After Setting Off Explosives

Baltimore Harbor is a step closer to reopening after engineers brought down the largest remaining span of the Francis Scott Key Bridge with a controlled demolition on Monday evening. The explosions were part of a larger…

IJR SyndicatedMay 14, 20243 min read

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The remaining wreckage will be removed at a safe pace, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said.

“They’re going to have to lift it with the grabber or they’ll be removing it after cutting it down some more, but we’re continuing the salvage operations in the same methodical and disciplined safe way we’ve been removing wreckage all along,” said Col. Estee Pinchasin, according to WBAL.

Some wreckage was left on the ship’s deck because of concerns about hazardous materials still onboard.

The 21 crew members aboard the Dali remained below deck during Monday’s controlled Explosion. The men have been aboard the vessel since it left the port on March 26 and collided with the bridge.

The plan is to refloat the ship and bring it into the harbor by the end of the week so that shipping traffic to and from the busy port can return to normal for the first time since the bridge collapsed and claimed the lives of six road workers.

The men were repairing potholes on the structure when the Dali experienced electrical issues and struck a support beam in the middle of the night.

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NBC News reported the Army Corps of Engineers was working with the U.S. Coast Guard, the Maryland State Police and other law enforcement and government agencies to reopen the port.

Democratic Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday that the slow, methodical approach to removing the bridge’s remnants is about ensuring no one else is injured or killed.

“This is a best practice,” Moore said at a news conference. “Safety in this operation is our top priority.”

Engineers were waiting for high tide on Tuesday to assist them in towing the vessel to the harbor, where it will be repaired, The Associated Press reported.

Of the estimated 50,000 tons of steel and concrete that plunged into the river when the bridge came down, only an estimated 6,000 tons had been removed as of Monday.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.