Posted on 03/31/24
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 31, 2024 - The Unified Command commenced cutting operations Saturday to remove wreckage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Highly trained demolition crews are cutting the top portion of the north side of the collapsed bridge truss. Two crane barges, a 650-ton crane and a 330-ton crane, are actively working on scene. The removed wreckage is scheduled to be lifted and transferred to a barge this evening as daylight allows. A 230-ton land-based crane will offload and process the wreckage at Tradepoint Atlantic and will then be taken to a disposal site.
A Coast Guard Station Crisfield 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew observes as highly trained demolition crews cut the top portion of the north side of the collapsed bridge into smaller sections for safe removal by crane in the Patapsco River, in Baltimore, Maryland, March 30, 2024. Salvage teams used an exothermic cutting torch to systematically separate sections of the steel bridge, which will be taken to a disposal site. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves)
The Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command includes the:
U.S. Coast Guard
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Maryland Department of the Environment
Maryland Transportation Authority
Witt O’Brien’s representing Synergy Marine
Maryland State Police
The Unified Command’s operational priorities are ensuring the safety of the public and first responders, accountability of missing persons, safely restoring transportation infrastructure and commerce, protecting the environment, and supporting the investigation.
Salvage operations on the Francis Scott Key Bridge commenced March 30, 2024, in Baltimore, Maryland. Salvage teams use an exothermic cutting torch to systematically separate sections of the steel bridge, which will be taken to a disposal site. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves)
Highly trained demolition crews began cutting the top portion of the north side of the collapsed bridge into smaller sections for safe removal by crane in the Patapsco River, in Baltimore, Maryland, March 30, 2024. Salvage teams use exothermic cutting torch to systematically separate sections of the steel bridge, which will be taken to a disposal site. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Kimberly Reaves)