A demolition team in Baltimore will try again Monday to free a container ship from the tangled Francis Scott Key Bridge into which it crashed in late March – after rain cancelled an attempt Sunday.
The controlled demolition is an attempt to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed bridge, which came crashing down under the impact of a massive ship on March 26.
The steel span – which is an estimated 500 feet (152 meters) long and weighs up to 600 tons (544 metric tons) – landed on the ship’s bow after the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge’s support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore. Since then, the ship has been stuck among the wreckage and Baltimore’s busy port has been closed to most maritime traffic.
Six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths in the collapse. The last of their bodies was recovered from the underwater wreckage earlier this week. All the victims were Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. for job opportunities. They were filling potholes on an overnight shift when the bridge was destroyed.
Officials said the demolition is the safest and most efficient way to remove steel under a high level of pressure and tension.
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Author: Joe Weber
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