Temporary channel opened for vessels clearing Baltimore Key Bridge wreckage
BALTIMORE, Md. - A temporary channel on the side of the Baltimore bridge collapse opened Monday, nearly a week after the deadly collapse.
The purpose of a temporary channel is help get more vessels in the water around the site of the collapse, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday.
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"The temporary channel will be marked with government lights to aid navigation and will have a controlling depth of 11 feet," Gov. Moore said. "We are also moving forward on creating a southwest channel for deeper draft vessels. That channel will measure about 15 feet deep and open in the coming days."
Monday marked six days since the massive cargo ship Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, killing six construction workers. The bodies of two workers have been found, with four who remain missing as of this writing. Recovering the victims’ bodies is the first priority, Gov. Moore said.
Another pressing priority is clearing the channel and opening vessel traffic to the Port of Baltimore.
"But we have to be clear on the stakes and the risks. This is a steel bridge on top of a container ship in the middle of the Patapsco River. We’re talking about tons of steel that is mangled and cantilevered," Moore said. "We're talking about water that is so murky and filled with debris, divers can't see more than one foot in front of them. We're talking about a situation where the portion of the bridge beneath the water has been described by Unified Command as ‘chaotic wreckage’."
At least four heavy-lift cranes are being utilized in the recovery process, with a 200-ton piece of the Key bridge that has now been cut up and lifted. The entire operation took about 10 hours, according to Moore. Pending lightning, another lift operation is scheduled for Monday with an estimated 350-ton piece of the bridge to be lifted.
"We’ve got advanced sonar capability out there helping us map that, but it’s turning out to be more challenging than we originally thought it might be just in trying to determine how they’re tangled and how we’re eventually going to cut through them," Admiral Shannon Gilreath with the U.S. Coast Guard said Monday.
According to Gov. Moore, at least 8,000 workers on the docks have jobs that have been directly affected by the collapse.
Treyvon Thompson, an assistant general manager at THB Bagelry, said some of those workers are regulars at the bagel chain’s shops in the Baltimore area.
"A lot of those workers, we see them on a daily. So, you have the thought of Mr. So and So, ‘Will I see him today? Or I hope he’s okay.’" Thompson said, reflecting on the morning of the collapse.
Business has experienced a slight decrease over the past week, Thompson said. He added, THB Bagelry also helped feed other businesses near the port.
"Normally, we have like a 24 window to do catering. But the one cruise line, the assistance they needed…when he called, we were just so happy to help in anyway we could. It didn’t matter. We have had to go to the actual warehouses to pick up products or reach out to other stores or give product however we could," he said.
According to Gov. Moore, a Small Business Administration disaster declaration has been approved by the federal government. Small businesses affected by the collapse can now apply for Disaster Loan Assistance with low-interest loans of up to $2 million.
Since Saturday Morning, the SBA has received 57 applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans from Maryland.
The Small Business Administration has also worked with state officials over the last 48 hours to stand up a Business Resource Center, Moore said. Unemployment Insurance is also available.
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Those in need of resources can receive help at 1501 South Clinton Street Baltimore, Maryland 21224. The office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
A second location will open in Baltimore County.