Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Dali passes site where bridge crumbled; Bay Bridge traffic to halt

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Dali passes through site where bridge crumbled

The Dali - the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March causing it to collapse – passed through the water where the bridge once stood on its way to Norfolk on Monday, June 24, 2024.

BALTIMORE - A poignant scene unfolded Monday as the Dali - the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March causing it to collapse – passed through the water where the bridge once stood on its way to Virginia.

The collision happened nearly three months ago, on March 26, after the ship lost power and plowed into one of the bridge’s supporting columns. The collision left six construction workers dead and halted most maritime traffic through Baltimore’s busy port.

Traffic on the Bay Bridge, which spans the Chesapeake Bay and connects Maryland's Eastern Shore with the state's Western Shore, will be temporarily suspended as the 984-foot ship escorted by four tugboats, passed beneath on its way to Norfolk where it will receive extensive repairs. The Maryland Transportation Authority said it will hold traffic for approximately 15 to 30 minutes between 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Baltimore Key Bridge collapse: Bay Bridge traffic halts as Dali passes beneath

Traffic on the Bay Bridge was temporarily halted Monday as the Dali - the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March causing it to collapse – passed beneath on its way to Norfolk, Virginia, where it will receive extensive repairs.

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A poignant scene Monday, June 24 as the Dali - the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March causing it to collapse – passed through the water where the bridge once stood on its way to Virginia.

Crew members on the cargo ship have been cleared to head home under an agreement that allows lawyers to question them as part of investigations into the cause of the deadly collapse. None of the crew members has been able to leave the U.S. since the crash.

The trip to Norfolk is expected to take between 16 and 20 hours.

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Tugboats escorted the damaged Dali back to the Port of Baltimore on Monday, nearly two months after the ship lost power and crashed into one of the Francis Scott Key Bridge's supporting columns, killing six construction workers and halting most maritime traffic through the port.

The container ship remained pinned amid the wreckage of the fallen bridge for almost two months while workers removed thousands and thousands of tons of mangled steel and concrete from the bottom of the Patapsco River at the entrance to Baltimore’s harbor.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found the ship experienced two power outages in the hours before it left the Port of Baltimore. In the moments before the bridge collapsed, it lost power again and veered off course. The agency is still investigating what caused the electrical failures. The FBI also launched a criminal investigation.

Baltimore Key bridge collapse: Bay Bridge traffic to halt as Dali passes beneath on way to Norfolk

Traffic on the Bay Bridge will be temporarily suspended Monday as the Dali - the cargo ship that crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in March causing it to collapse – passes beneath on its way to Norfolk, Virginia, where it will receive extensive repairs.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.