Baltimore Key bridge collapse: temporary channel being prepared, work to clear site continues

A temporary channel for essential commercial vessels is being prepared near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore as work continues to clear steel and debris from the collapse site.

BALTIMORE - A temporary channel for essential commercial vessels is being prepared near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore as work continues to clear steel and debris from the collapse site.

The bridge fell early last Tuesday morning after the crew of the massive container ship Dali lost control after a power outage. The ship’s crew issued a mayday allowing enough time for police to stop vehicles from continuing onto the bridge. However, the mayday call did not allow enough time for a construction crew of eight workers filling potholes on the bridge span to get off the structure.

Two of the workers survived the disaster. Two bodies were found in a submerged pickup truck. Four more men are presumed dead. Weather conditions and debris from the wreckage have made it too dangerous for divers to search for their bodies.

The collapse of the iconic bridge is causing major economic and travel disruptions around the region and across the country.

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Work to Establish Temporary Channel

The temporary channel will be established on the main channel’s northeast side by the captain of the port, the Associated Press reports. The channel will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a horizontal clearance of 264 feet, and a vertical clearance of 96 feet.

Video showed the U.S. Coast Guard preparing by dropping buoys in the water.

Assistance For Small Businesses

The Small Business Administration said it is opening a center in Dundalk, Maryland, to help small businesses get loans to help them with losses caused by the bridge collapse.

Congress is expected to consider an aid package to help people who lose jobs or businesses because of the prolonged closure of the Port of Baltimore.

Baltimore Key Bridge traffic related closures and detours

FOX 5’s Annie Mae reports as traffic delays and closures continue following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.

Work To Clean Debris Continues

Divers assisted crews with the removal of steel and concrete from the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge site over the weekend. The divers surveyed parts of the large cargo vessel Dali to make sure it can be safely floated away once the bridge wreckage is lifted. The vessel is currently tangled in approximately 3,000 to 4,000 tons of debris.

Large cranes arrived to the scene Friday to help clean the wreckage. As each part of the bridge is cut away, it will be floated downstream and inspected.

One of the cranes being used can lift 1,000 tons. Also on hand - seven floating cranes, 10 tugboats, nine barges, eight salvage vessels and five Coast Guard boats, according to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.

Where Is The Crew Of The Dali?

The crew of the Dali remains onboard the ship as work to free it from the tangled mess of steel and concreate continues. Some of the vessel’s containers were torn open or knocked away by the falling bridge. Most remained intact.

Synergy Marine Group manages the Dali. The ship is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd. Maersk, the Danish shipping giant, charted the container ship, which was Baltimore when it struck the bridge’s support column.

How Long To Rebuild The Baltimore Bridge?

The original bridge opened in 1977. It carried Interstate 695 around southeast Baltimore and connected the city’s beltway. The original bridge took five years to build.

Exactly how long it will take to build the new bridge cannot be determined at this time. In addition to the collapsed portion of the bridge, engineers will need to assess the condition of the ramps and smaller bridges.

No timeline announced as work begins to clear Key Bridge collapse wreckage

The cleanup has begun following the deadly collapse of the Key Bridge earlier this week. The work is underway, but officials have not been able to provide a timeline as crews work to clear the debris.

Construction Workers Remembered

Baltimore’s Sacred Heart of Jesus church held a Mass in Spanish in memory of the construction workers killed in the collapse. "Yes we can rebuild a bridge, but we have to look at the way in which migrant workers are treated and how best we can improve their situation as they come to the United States of America," Rev. Ako Walker told the Associated Press.

Divers recovered the bodies of two of six workers who plunged into the water when the bridge collapsed. Maryland State Police officials identified them as 35-year-old Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, was from Mexico and living in Baltimore, and 26-year-old Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, who was from Guatemala and living in Dundalk, Maryland.

The men, who were from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, were patching potholes on the highway span of the bridge when the collapse happened.

The Associated Press contributed to this report