On Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard used a controlled demolition to destroy part of the remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge, in order to free the cargo ship that caused its collapse.
According to a news release from the Key Bridge Response United Command, the Coast Guard used small explosives to destroy the portions of the bridge that were still on top of the ship, and then remove any debris in the Patapsco River, in order to free the 213 million pound cargo ship, the Dali.
The release stated that “precision cuts made with small charges,” were the “safest and swiftest method” to remove the remaining parts of the bridge and free the ship.
“This is an industry-standard tool in controlled demolition that will break the span into smaller pieces, which will allow the work of refloating the vessel and removing it from the federal channel,” the release added.
Footage of the demolition saw a cloud of black smoke emanating from beams on a portion of the bridge, still atop the ship. Seconds later, a loud explosion could be heard from the shoreline.
Initially, the demolition was scheduled for the weekend but had to be postponed to Monday due to bad weather conditions and lightning, according to CNN.
The demolition comes just days before a Wednesday hearing before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. The hearing will see testimony from the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board as well as officials from the Army Corps of Engineers, the US Department of Transportation, and the Coast Guard.
On Sunday, the Coast Guard’s Nick Ameen defended the decision to delay the demolition, telling CNN, “We will absolutely not sacrifice safety for speed…Whenever there’s a lightning strike in the area, that pushes the clock back, and so that clock just kept getting pushed back and pushed back.”
According to Darrel Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali, the 21 members of the ship’s crew remained on board during the demolition. They have not left the ship in the seven weeks since the crash, but “are all safe and standing by to continue assisting the response,” Wilson said.
CNN reported that members of Baltimore’s Marine enforcement ensured that the crew members would have a safe place to shelter during the demolition.
The Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early morning hours of March 26. The collapse killed six people who were on the bridge when the Dali crashed. All six bodies have been recovered, per the Daily Caller.
The New York Times reported that the bridge, which spanned 1.6 miles, was built in March 1977, to relieve congestion in the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel. It was the longest of the three crossings of Baltimore Harbor.
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Author: John Symank
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