By David Shepardson and Daniel Trotta
(Reuters) – The U.S. government on Thursday awarded the state of Maryland an initial $60 million emergency fund to clear rubble and begin rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, an extraordinarily rapid outlay after such a disaster.
The bridge collapsed early Tuesday after a huge freighter that had lost power crashed into the structure in Baltimore Harbor. Two bodies have been recovered and four others are missing and presumed dead, believed to be trapped in a vehicle under concrete and steel that fell into the water.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore requested the $60 million last Friday, and within hours the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration approved the request to fund emergency work.
Such funding typically takes days, but President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday that he had ordered the federal government to “move heaven and earth” to quickly rebuild the bridge, which is part of a highway that encircles Baltimore.
Moore said at a news conference that the top priority was to recover the missing construction workers who were making repairs on the bridge when the vessel known as Dali hit a support column around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday morning.
Officials then hope to clear the canal to resume shipping operations; assist workers, families and first responders affected by the tragedy; and rebuild the bridge.
But first a team of experts will have to evaluate how to remove the blocked ship, loaded with thousands of containers and trapped among the debris of the bridge. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was bringing the largest crane to the East Coast to remove pieces of bridge, Moore said.
“The Dali is almost as long as the Eiffel Tower and has the Key Bridge on top. We’re talking about 3,000 or 4,000 tons of steel sitting on top of that ship,” Moore said.
Until diving operations were suspended for safety reasons Wednesday night, divers searching for victims had been hampered by the volume and density of debris blocking sunlight.
“In most cases, our divers can’t see more than a foot or two in front of them, so a lot of the operation is simply felt,” Moore said.
Federal officials told Maryland lawmakers that the final cost of rebuilding the bridge could rise to at least $2 billion, Roll Call reported, citing a source familiar with the discussions.
The US Congress will have to fund the construction of a replacement bridge.
Maryland officials said the emergency funds will support “mobilization, operations and debris removal, laying the foundation for a rapid recovery” and that the state may seek additional emergency funding as the damage assessment progresses.
En route to Sri Lanka, the Singapore-flagged container ship Dali reported losing power and maneuverability before crashing into a bridge support pylon.
The impact almost immediately caused most of the bridge to crash into the mouth of the Patapsco River, blocking shipping lanes and forcing the indefinite closure of the Port of Baltimore, one of the busiest on the U.S. East Coast.
(This story has been corrected to source a report from The Hill to Roll Call in paragraph 11)