Baltimore begins massive and dangerous cleanup after bridge collapse
Federal officials also announced the first relief funds — $60 million — would flow toward disaster recovery just hours after the request was submitted. The massive cleanup following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is under way, with the U.S. Navy deploying several floating cranes, including one that could lift 1,000 tons, and the US Army Corps of Engineers sending over 1,100 engineering specialists and other experts to help remove debris from the Port of Baltimore. The cleanup will involve clearing the shipping channel of the massive steel trusses that block it, lifting pieces of the bridge draped across the 985-foot Dali, moving them and dredging up concrete and steel that have settled on the river bed. The federal government is expected to pick up the lion’s share of the costs, but not all costs, according to Senator Van Hollen and Senator Ben Cardin.
Published : 4 weeks ago by Erin Cox, Jacob Bogage, Justin Jouvenal in Business
Huge crane ships, thousands of relief workers and millions of dollars headed toward Baltimore on Thursday, as efforts turned from recovery after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to a massive cleanup that some experts described as unprecedented and highly dangerous. The U.S. Navy deployed several floating cranes, including one that could lift 1,000 tons, while the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they would send more than 1,100 engineering specialists and other experts to help begin removing the hulking debris that has crippled the Port of Baltimore.
Teams would first try to clear the shipping channel of the massive steel trusses that block it to allow one-way traffic to begin flowing again into and out of the port. Second, they would lift pieces of the bridge draped across the 985-foot Dali and move it. Finally, they would dredge up concrete and steel that have settled on the river bed.
“This will be highly technical, very difficult and frankly dangerous,” Ford said. “This size of vessel. This size of bridge. All of the span coming down entirely and some of it still on top of a vessel is a situation that I have never read about in my career.”
Federal officials have not described in detail how they plan to carry out the clean up mission, but Ford said he thought they would begin by using sonar and other tools to map out where debris lies on the floor of the Patapsco River, which is about 50 feet deep.
He said they would hack the debris above and below the surface into pieces, which would in some instances require divers. The barge- or boat-based cranes would then lift the pieces onto barges floating nearby. He said cutting the steel could be particularly dangerous because beams might shift or fall. In some instances, he said workers might be forced to build platforms to support the beams as they are cut.
He said teams would probably have to go below deck on the Dali to ensure it is seaworthy, before attempting to tow it to port. Finally, he said they would probably use scoops to dredge up materials from the riverbed.
“While the [shipping] containers may be damaged from the bridge falling on them, those [drums and totes] are extremely strong and they can hold up very well,” Bell said. “Those lithium-ion batteries probably present the biggest danger of all, because once they ignite they are not easily extinguished,”
“We are lucky in that the hull seems to be intact. It doesn’t seem to be leaking water. It doesn’t seem to be leaking fuel,” Frailey said. “It also seems to be stable so it’s not going to capsize.”
“When it comes to using those funds for the design and ultimately the construction of new bridge, there’s a cost share where the federal government picks up the lion’s share of the costs, but not all of it,” Van Hollen said. “And that’s where Senator [Ben] Cardin and I plan to introduce legislation to ensure that the federal government is able to pick up the full costs going forward.”
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