The Baltimore Key Bridge collapse is now being blamed on “structural failure,” and extensive cleanup work has started
At least six construction workers were killed when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed into the Patapsco River on Tuesday following a cargo ship collision with a critical support.
As a large cleanup operation gets underway, scientists have determined that the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore was caused by “structural failures.”
The Francis Scott Key Bridge was designed in the 1970s, but experts have discovered that it may not have been intended for the massive size and power of the ships that go beneath it today. It is still too early to determine exactly what happened during the collision and the subsequent collapse.
Given that ships like the “Dali” weren’t using the Port of Baltimore at the time, it’s possible that the piers weren’t built to resist the force of today’s ship collisions, according to Professor Toby Mottram of the University of Warwick.
A vast cleanup effort with enormous crane ships and thousands of aid workers en route to Baltimore is currently underway to remove the bridge’s debris from the river.
Governor Moore stated that the debris must be removed to facilitate rescue efforts, as diving operations were halted on Wednesday night owing to “security concerns.” Reopening the waterway and eventually rebuilding the bridge are also goals.
Additionally, President Biden declared he had authorized $60 million in beginning funding for the bridge’s reconstruction.