Posted on 03/31/24
Baltimore, MD - Mar. 31, 2024 - The Unified Command continues cutting operations Sunday to remove wreckage from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
Demolition crews continue to cut portions 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 being lifted and transferred to a barge as daylight allows. A 230-ton land-based crane will offload and process the wreckage at Tradepoint Atlantic. Every lifting operation requires engineering analysis to inform salvage operation plans.
BGE has reduced pressure of the underwater natural gas pipeline to 35psi. The pipeline spans the width of the channel and runs under the incident site. The Unified Command is continuing to coordinate with BGE to inert the pipeline to free it from hazards and risk.
Three dive teams with the Unified Command are surveying sections of the bridge and the M/V Dali for future removal operations.
A Debris Reporting Hotline has been established. If the public encounters any debris from the incident, please contact +1 (410) 205-6625
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.
Barge cranes are shown near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on in the Patapsco River, in Baltimore, Maryland, March 30, 2024. The Key Bridge Response Unified Command 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. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon)
Responders with the Unified Command shift containment boom near the M/V Dali in the Patapsco River, in Baltimore, Maryland, March 30, 2024. The Key Bridge Response Unified Command 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. (U.S. Coast Guard video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon)
Demolition crews with the Unified Command begin 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 video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon)
A crewmember with the Unified Command prepares a barge for salvage operation of the north side of the collapsed 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 video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon)
Demolition crews with the Unified Command begin 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 video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Taylor Bacon)