BALTIMORE – Unified Command groups responding to cleanup efforts at the Key Bridge Cave at the site are working to clear a transience channel to allow ships to reach the port.
A 200-ton chunk of deck broke off the crash site on Sunday as crews continued to clear debris from the bridge, which collapsed when it crossed a bridge last week.
Crews are tearing the northern segment of the bridge into smaller pieces in hopes of moving enough pieces to open a temporary, limited channel that would allow more ships to reach the crash site.
“This will eventually allow us to open a temporary, limited channel that will allow us to release more boats around the cave at the site,” Gov. Wes Moore said.
“This will mark a vital first step on the path to reopening the Port of Baltimore,” said Capt. David O’Connell, federal on-site coordinator for Key Bridge Response 2024. “By opening this select route, we will improve the flow of maritime traffic to Baltimore.
The action is part of a phase to open the main canal, according to Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott’s office.
The transience channel will be signaled with government-illuminated navigational aids and will have an intensity of 11 feet, a horizontal clearance of 264 feet, and a vertical clearance of 96 feet.
The existing 2000-yard buffer zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect and is intended for users, vessels and the marine environment. No vessel or user may enter the security zone without obtaining permission from COTP or a designated official. said the mayor’s workplace.
The hardness of the soil around Dali is also being investigated so that a withdrawal strategy can be scaled up.
The governor told WJZ that cleanup efforts at the site of the Key Bridge wreck will be a “24-hour” effort until the Port of Baltimore is open again.
Gov. Wes Moore said this effort “will go a long way. “
“It’s a big operation, but there’s movement happening,” Moore said on “CNN Sunday Morning. “
Moore says divers weren’t able to get back into the water to search for the missing structure personnel because of the weather and all the debris.
Eight men were repairing potholes on the deck when the freighter hit the deck around 1:30 a. m. last Tuesday. Two were rescued, but two men were discovered in a red van and 4 are still missing and presumed dead.
“My purpose is to make sure that those families get the comfort and safety that they need, to make sure that our first responders get what they need, to make sure that we can open those channels and make sure that we can get that key bridge rebuilt,” Moore said.
On CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, Scott said he plans to meet with union leaders and staff at the Port of Baltimore on Monday to talk to them about tactics while traffic in and out of the port is closed.
“Communicating what kind of others they want while we all think and think about how we can help them and keep the industry flowing as much as possible,” Scott said. “It’s going to be a long road. It won’t be a pique. “
Meanwhile, the Zach Ocanas cruise line is back in Maryland.
Ocañas went on a carnival cruise a week ago. With the canal closed, his ship had to dock in Norfolk on Sunday morning and passengers took a four-hour bus back to Baltimore.
Ocañas went on an excursion with a relative who lives in the area.
“We arrived wonderfully on time,” Ocañas said. And they had like buses waiting outside, as if there was a huge bus in their position. All the Carnival staff were able to get through and the local police were able to check on us about the buses and everything. “
If you have debris, call the hotline at 410-205-6625.