Crews detonated a series of strategically placed explosives on Monday to destroy the largest remaining span of Baltimore’s collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The purpose of this demolition is to free the container ship Dali, which has been stranded in the Port of Baltimore for 48 days.
The ship lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore on March 26 and collided with one of the bridge’s support columns, causing the bridge to collapse.
The accident tragically claimed the lives of six construction workers and disrupted much of the maritime traffic at the busy port.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge is an important commuter route that carries the Baltimore Beltway I-695 across the Patapsco River at the southern end of Baltimore Harbor and is the first in the state to be closed to underwater traffic. Hazardous Materials Pathway Baltimore’s Highway Tunnel.
Onlookers watched as the broken steel trusses fell into the water below. The purpose of a controlled collapse is to avoid further contact with the vessel and refloat it.
Watch the video below:
Not long ago: Baltimore workers conduct controlled demolition of collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge pic.twitter.com/QjwywkovOs
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 13, 2024
We were live streaming @wjz When the foundation bridge explosives were detonated. From what we understand, the surgery was successful. #break in pic.twitter.com/PEiApDIFlR
— Mike Hellgren (@HellgrenWJZ) May 13, 2024
explode! Here’s a video of workers detonating explosives to help free the Dali from the wreckage of its foundation bridge near Baltimore. #CrazyVideo @7NewsDC pic.twitter.com/N0iQAGHXFm
— Scott Thuman (@ScottThuman) May 13, 2024
Officials confirmed the explosion went as planned. The next phase of the cleanup includes assessing the remaining trusses on the Dali’s bow and ensuring that underwater debris does not prevent the vessel from refloating and moving.
Last month, the U.S. Naval Institute reported that the Chesapeake, the largest crane on the East Coast, had arrived to help clear the wreckage of the USS Daly, which hit the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Friday.
According to UNI, the Chesapeake was originally named SUN 800 and was built by the CIA “for the purpose of salvaging the Soviet Golf II ballistic missile submarine K-129, which sank in 1968.” The CIA used SUN 800 to help build the Hughes Glomar Explorer.
While reconstruction of the bridge won’t begin until cleanup is complete, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDTA) estimates the Francis Scott Key Bridge will be rebuilt by the fall of 2028 at a cost of between $1.7 billion and $1.7 billion, according to the Washington Post. Between $1.9 billion.
Some experts predict the project could take up to ten years to complete. Benjamin Shafer, a professor of civil and systems engineering at Johns Hopkins University, told USA TODAY that it could take a decade or more. Likewise, George Washington University engineering professor Sameh Badie noted that reconstruction costs will depend on the new design.
The original Francis Scott Key Bridge cost an estimated $110 million, took just five years to build and opened in 1977, according to Fox 10.
