Clearing the channel will allow the search for the missing victims to continue and reopen a port critical to the local and national economies.
Crews are working to remove the first portion of Baltimore bridge wreckage – the starting point in a complicated, extensive cleanup process that could help open up a temporary channel to get more vessels into the water around the collapse site, officials said.
"At this time, pieces of the bridge trusses have started being cut and removed," US Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Kimberly Reaves said this morning.A 213-million-pound cargo vessel slammed into, killing six construction workers. The bodies of four victims have yet to be recovered. They are trapped in the tangle of steel and concrete underwater, authorities believe.
"This is going to be a very complex process," he said. "There are, even now, forces acting on that steel, so it takes a lot to make sure that it can be dismantled safely, to make sure that the vessel stays where it is supposed to be and doesn't swing out into the channel." The work will allow for the opening of a temporary restricted channel for vessels to move into the area and assist with recovery, Moore said yesterday.
The first debris lift marks the beginning of a long process toward reopening the port to tug and barge traffic, Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath of the US Coast Guard said at yesterday's news conference. "Much like when you run a marathon, you've got to take the first few steps," he added. "I can tell you the original bridge took about five years to build, but that doesn't necessarily inform us about the timeline on the reconstruction," he said. "We don't fully know everything we need to know about the condition of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse."through the Department of Transportation, Buttigieg said, adding officials may need to turn to Congress to supplement the funding.
In order to reopen the port, the Coast Guard says it will first clear debris from the deep draft channel, remove the ship, then clear debris from the bridge across the waterway. The crew of the cargo ship that hit the bridge remained on the ship Sunday, a Coast Guard official said.
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