Current:Home > MarketsKey Bridge controlled demolition postponed due to weather -WealthX
Key Bridge controlled demolition postponed due to weather
View
Date:2025-04-12 11:51:27
The controlled demolition of the largest remaining steel span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore has been postponed because of weather conditions, officials said Sunday afternoon.
Crews have been preparing for weeks to use explosives to break down the span, which is an estimated 500 feet (152 meters) long and weighs up to 600 tons.
It landed on the ship's bow after the Dali lost power and crashed into one of the bridge's support columns shortly after leaving Baltimore. Since then, the ship has been stuck amidst the wreckage and Baltimore's busy port has been closed to most maritime traffic.
Officials said the demolition had been tentatively moved to Monday evening. They said lightning in the area and rising tides Sunday prompted them to reschedule.
Six members of a roadwork crew plunged to their deaths in the March 26 collapse. The last of their bodies was recovered from the underwater wreckage last week. All the victims were Latino immigrants who came to the U.S. for job opportunities. They were filling potholes on an overnight shift when the bridge was destroyed.
The controlled demolition will allow the Dali to be refloated and guided back into the Port of Baltimore. Once the ship is removed, maritime traffic can begin returning to normal, which will provide relief for thousands of longshoremen, truckers and small business owners who have seen their jobs impacted by the closure.
The Dali's 21-member crew will stay onboard the ship while the explosives are detonated.
William Marks, a spokesperson for the crew, said they would shelter "in a designated safe place" during the demolition. "All precautions are being taken to ensure everyone's safety," he said in an email.
Officials said the demolition is the safest and most efficient way to remove steel under a high level of pressure and tension.
"It's unsafe for the workers to be on or in the immediate vicinity of the bridge truss for those final cuts," officials said in a news release Sunday.
In a videographic released last week, authorities said engineers are using precision cuts to control how the trusses break down. They said the method allows for "surgical precision" and the steel structure will be "thrust away from the Dali" when the explosives send it tumbling into the water.
Once it's demolished, hydraulic grabbers will lift the resulting sections of steel onto barges.
"It's important to note that this controlled demolition is not like what you would see in a movie," the video says, noting that from a distance it will sound like fireworks or loud thunder and give off puffs of smoke.
So far, about 6,000 tons of steel and concrete have been removed from the collapse site. Officials estimate the total amount of wreckage at 50,000 tons, about the equivalent of 3,800 loaded dump trucks.
Officials previously said they hoped to remove the Dali by May 10 and reopen the port's 50-foot (15.2-meter) main channel by the end of May.
The Dali is currently scheduled to be refloated during high tide on Tuesday, officials said Sunday. They said three or four tugboats will be used to guide the ship to a nearby terminal in the Port of Baltimore. It will likely remain there for a few weeks and undergo temporary repairs before being moved to a shipyard for more substantial repairs.
The Dali crew members haven't been allowed to leave the vessel since the disaster. Officials said they have been busy maintaining the ship and assisting investigators. Of the crew members, 20 are from India and one is Sri Lankan.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the FBI are conducting investigations into the bridge collapse.
Danish shipping giant Maersk chartered the Dali for a planned trip from Baltimore to Sri Lanka, but the ship didn't get far. Its crew sent a mayday call saying they had lost power and had no control of the steering system. Minutes later, the ship rammed into the bridge.
Officials have said the safety board investigation will focus on the ship's electrical system.
- In:
- Maryland
- Baltimore
- Traffic
veryGood! (75)
Related
- The city of Chicago is ordered to pay nearly $80M for a police chase that killed a 10
- It seems like everyone wants an axolotl since the salamander was added to Minecraft
- Israel strikes Gaza homes of Palestinian Islamic Jihad militants, killing commanders and their children
- The new normal of election disinformation
- South Korea's acting president moves to reassure allies, calm markets after Yoon impeachment
- Shaquille O’Neal Shares Reason Behind Hospitalization
- How Twitter's platform helped its users, personally and professionally
- How Elon Musk used sci-fi and social media to shape his narrative
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- Elon Musk suggests his SpaceX company will keep funding satellites in Ukraine
Ranking
- The White House is cracking down on overdraft fees
- How to avoid sharing false or misleading news about the election
- How likely is a complete Twitter meltdown?
- Some Twitter users flying the coop hope Mastodon will be a safe landing
- New Mexico governor seeks funding to recycle fracking water, expand preschool, treat mental health
- Two women who allege they were stalked and harassed using AirTags are suing Apple
- Elon Musk says Ye is suspended from Twitter
- Ulta 24-Hour Flash Sale: Take 50% Off Origins, Live Tinted, Foreo, Jaclyn Cosmetics, and More
Recommendation
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
At least 22 people, including children, killed in India boat accident
How Twitter's platform helped its users, personally and professionally
Looking to leave Twitter? Here are the social networks seeing new users now
What to know about Tuesday’s US House primaries to replace Matt Gaetz and Mike Waltz
Find a new job in 60 days: tech layoffs put immigrant workers on a ticking clock
It's the end of the boom times in tech, as layoffs keep mounting
Google is now distributing Truth Social, Trump's Twitter alternative