Baltimore’s collapsed Key Bridge undergoes swift dismantling by salvage crews
Bridge Collapse: The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore collapsed nearly three weeks ago due to a stray cargo ship. The wreckage is being moved to a nearby salvage yard by crews using the largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard. (Reuters Photo)Salvage Operations: The heaviest section lifted so far weighed about 450 tons. Workers in the salvage yard are disassembling the metal trusses into manageable pieces using propane torches and giant shears. The Chesapeake 1000, a floating crane with a rich history, is visible nearby. (AP Photo)Race Against Time: Constructed in the 1970s over five years, the Key Bridge is now being rapidly dismantled. This race against time is to remove the remnants of what was once a Baltimore landmark. (AP Photo)Tragic Loss: On the day of the collapse, March 26, six construction workers tragically lost their lives. Four bodies have been recovered so far. (AP Photo)Recovery Efforts: Salvage crews hope to recover the remaining two bodies once more debris is removed. They aim to open a temporary channel later this month to allow more commercial traffic through the Port of Baltimore, which has been largely closed since the collapse. (AP Photo)Complex Task: Over 1,000 tons of steel have been removed from the waterway so far. However, the operation is complex, dangerous, and tedious. The leaders of the operation shared these insights during a visit to the salvage yard at Tradepoint Atlantic, the only operational maritime shipping terminal in the Port of Baltimore. (AP Photo)Future Plans: The facility, located at the site of a former Bethlehem Steel plant northeast of Baltimore, has increased operations to accommodate some of the ships originally scheduled to dock at the port’s other terminals. Divers are surveying the murky underwater wreckage before removing any pieces of the bridge, assessing how to safely extract the various parts. This is one of the biggest challenges, according to Robyn Bianchi, an assistant salvage master on the project. At the same time, crews are working to remove some containers from the cargo ship Dali before lifting steel spans off its bow and refloating the vessel. “It presents a dynamic hazard,” said Joseph Farrell, CEO of Resolve Marine, which is working on refloating the ship. Once that happens, the Dali will return to the Port of Baltimore. “Getting it out of there is a priority.” (AP Photo)
