Current:Home > MarketsSalvage crews race against the clock to remove massive chunks of fallen Baltimore bridge -Excel Wealth Summit
Salvage crews race against the clock to remove massive chunks of fallen Baltimore bridge
View
Date:2025-04-25 22:30:28
SPARROWS POINT, Md. (AP) — Nearly three weeks since Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed under the impact of a wayward cargo ship, crews are using the largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard to haul the wreckage to a nearby salvage yard.
The heaviest section so far weighed about 450 tons (408 metric tons). In the salvage yard Monday morning, workers disassembled the metal trusses by attacking them with propane torches and a pair of giant shears that sliced them into more manageable pieces. Rising from the water nearby was the Chesapeake 1000, a floating crane with a storied history that includes helping the CIA retrieve part of a sunken Soviet submarine.
The Key Bridge took five years to construct in the 1970s. Now, it’s a race against the clock to dismantle the remnants of a fallen Baltimore landmark.
On March 26, six construction workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse. Four bodies have since been recovered.
Salvage crews are hoping to recover the two remaining bodies once more of the debris has been removed. They’re also working toward their goal of opening a temporary channel later this month that would allow more commercial traffic to resume through the Port of Baltimore, which has remained largely closed since the March 26 collapse. Officials plan to reopen the port’s main channel by the end of May.
So far, over 1,000 tons (907 metric tons) of steel have been removed from the waterway. But the work is tedious, dangerous and incredibly complex, leaders of the operation said Monday during a visit to the salvage yard at Tradepoint Atlantic, the only maritime shipping terminal currently operating in the Port of Baltimore.
The facility, which occupies the site of a former Bethlehem Steel plant northeast of Baltimore, has ramped up operations to accommodate some of the ships originally scheduled to dock at the port’s other terminals.
Before removing any pieces of the bridge, divers are tasked with surveying the murky underwater wreckage and assessing how to safely extract the various parts. Coming up with a roadmap is among the biggest challenges, said Robyn Bianchi, an assistant salvage master on the project.
“There’s a lot of debris, there’s rebar, there’s concrete,” she said. “We don’t know what dangers are down there, so we have to be very methodical and slow with that.”
At the same time, crews are working to remove some containers from the cargo ship Dali before lifting steel spans off its bow and refloating the vessel.
“It presents a dynamic hazard,” said Joseph Farrell, CEO of Resolve Marine, which is working on refloating the ship. He said once that happens, the Dali will return to the Port of Baltimore. “Getting it out of there is a priority.”
veryGood! (9)
Related
- North Carolina trustees approve Bill Belichick’s deal ahead of introductory news conference
- Texas Supreme Court temporarily halts ruling allowing woman to have emergency abortion
- LSU QB Jayden Daniels overcomes being out of playoff hunt to win Heisman Trophy with prolific season
- Elon Musk restores X account of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones
- John Galliano out at Maison Margiela, capping year of fashion designer musical chairs
- CDC reports alarming rise in drug-resistant germs in Ukraine
- 3 Alabama officers fired in connection to fatal shooting of Black man at his home
- Sri Lanka experiences a temporary power outage after a main transmission line fails
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- LSU QB Jayden Daniels wins 2023 Heisman Trophy
Ranking
- Highlights from Trump’s interview with Time magazine
- Wisconsin university regents reject deal with Republicans to reduce diversity positions
- He entered high school at 13. He passed the bar at 17. Meet California's youngest lawyer.
- Why Shohei Ohtani will be worth every penny of $700 million contract for Los Angeles Dodgers
- Trump's 'stop
- US Coast Guard helicopter that crashed during rescue mission in Alaska is recovered
- Army holds on with goal-line stand in final seconds, beats Navy 17-11
- ‘Shadows of children:’ For the youngest hostages, life moves forward in whispers
Recommendation
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
Holly Madison Speaks Out About Her Autism Diagnosis and How It Affects Her Life
Heisman Trophy is recognizable and prestigious, but how much does it weigh?
International bodies reject moves to block Guatemala president-elect from taking office
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
Regulators’ recommendation would mean 3% lower electric rates for New Mexico residential customers
Post-summit news conferences highlight the divide between China and the EU
Eagles head of security Dom DiSandro banned from sideline for Sunday's game vs. Cowboys