On March 26, at approximately 1:30 a.m. ET, a large cargo ship crashed into Francis Scott Key Memorial Bridge in Baltimore, leaving six construction workers presumed dead and one person seriously injured. The bridge, which was first opened to the public in 1977, has been an integral part of the city of Baltimore and a monument to engineering innovation in its own right. Ben Schaefer, a professor of Civil Engineering at Johns Hopkins, spoke with NPR to discuss the crash and the physical damage caused.
Those who have seen footage of the crash will remember that the damage was done immediately, with the whole bridge span collapsing at once. According to Schaefer, the ship, “as big as the bridge itself, [lost] power and actually [struck] one of the two bridge support piers that support the structure, essentially [obliterating] it.”
The bridge was a metal truss arch bridge stretching all the way across the Patapsco River. It had some protection against potential damage, but there were no significant systems in place right at the bridge pier. When discussing bridge safety procedures, Schaefer declares that “The boat [was] as long as the bridge was long. The boat [was] as wide as the bridge was tall. So it’s a massive amount of energy. And it’s not clear that any bridge protection system we currently use could’ve taken a direct strike right at the bridge pier.”
A CNN report states that according to a news release from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA), the Federal government has issued Maryland officials the requested $60 million to cover the first steps of response to the tragedy. FHA chief Shailen Bhatt stated that “the emergency funding would go toward removing debris, rerouting traffic, and ultimately rebuilding the bridge.” So far, there have been 2,400 feet of boom deployed in the water to treat the leakage of harmful chemicals that came from the ship, according to Maryland Governor Wes Moore. Efforts to search for the missing workers had been halted following the crash due to the debris making it too difficult for divers to go in.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott addressed these concerns and gave hope that those who remained missing would be found and reunited with their families. The army, as well as local and federal government officials, are providing their support in helping Baltimore recover from the physical and emotional damage caused by this tragedy.
