Maryland Governor Wes Moore has announced plans to engage with Congress regarding support for rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. The bridge’s collapse has blocked Baltimore’s main shipping channel for almost two weeks, greatly impacting the port’s operations.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Governor Moore emphasized the non-partisan nature of the issue, highlighting it as a patriotic responsibility to support the port, a crucial economic asset employing tens of thousands. He expressed intentions to meet with congressional leaders to address this urgent matter.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore (Credits: WAMU)
As Maryland lawmakers concluded their legislative session, emergency legislation authorizing using the state’s rainy day fund to aid port employees was approved and sent to Governor Moore for signing. The legislation will take effect immediately upon signing.
The bridge collapsed on March 26 when the cargo ship Dali, en route to Sri Lanka, struck the bridge after losing power. Tragically, six workers, mainly immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, are presumed to have lost their lives in the incident, with three bodies recovered and search operations ongoing.
Governor Wes Moore (Credits: Maryland Matters)
Governor Moore reiterated the state’s commitment to supporting the affected families and ensuring their closure. Despite the challenges, progress has been made in clearing temporary alternate channels. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers anticipates opening a limited-access channel by the end of April and aims to restore normal port capacity by the end of May.
Governor Moore expressed optimism about the pace of reopening channels, considering the situation’s initial complexity. Significant efforts are underway to remove debris, with substantial steel already extracted from the Patapsco River.
Salvage divers and cranes are working to remove bridge sections obstructing the waterway, facilitating the eventual movement of the cargo ship. Crews have also begun removing containers from the bridge deck, signaling progress in the recovery operations led by the Key Bridge Response Unified Command.
