The largest crane on the East Coast of the United States arrived Friday at the bridge construction site in Baltimore to participate in removing debris from the Francis Scott Bridge and clearing the shipping route, MTI reported.
The crane installed on site is capable of transporting 1,000 tons. On Saturday, there will be another crane near the bridge ruins that can transport 400 tons. Removal of the building's steel structure and road debris and preparation for the works are being managed by the US Army's Military Engineering Unit in cooperation with the Coast Guard. The Navy is also involved in the work.
A senior Coast Guard officer said a comprehensive survey of the wreckage was needed to divide the bridge into pieces that cranes could lift. He called reopening the Port of Baltimore a priority. According to previous reports, keeping the port closed causes serious damage every day, not only to the state of Maryland, but to the entire US economy, because the port is dominant at the national level in transporting cars and agricultural equipment.
President Joe Biden on Thursday approved $60 million in immediate funding for Maryland, promising earlier that the federal government would support the full rebuilding process. The reconstruction process may take years, and initial estimates indicate that the cost is no less than $400 million.
In a press conference on Thursday, Maryland Governor Wes Moore described removing the debris as a very difficult task and added that it would be a long task. According to media experts, it could take weeks to clear the shipping route.
The Head of State included searching for the remains of four people who have not yet been found among the dead. The work of search divers was suspended on Thursday, because it has become dangerous to work among the wreckage and wreckage, where visibility is practically non-existent. Police officials said vehicles suspected of containing additional victims were among the rubble.
It is believed that six people died in the bridge disaster, all of them maintenance workers working on the bridge. Two bodies were found in a truck on Wednesday. Two people were rescued alive from the water immediately after the bridge collapsed.
The cause of the bridge's collapse was a disabled container carrier colliding with it. The out-of-control ship issued an emergency signal before the collision, so the police were able to stop traffic on the bridge in time, but they were no longer able to notify maintenance workers. Based on the footage published, vehicles were still driving on the bridge one minute before it collapsed. Spanning the mouth of the Patapsco River, the bridge is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) in total length and rises about 150 feet (55 m) above the water.
