Biden reiterates support for Key Bridge after latest state-federal meeting

A photo shows the recently reopened Patapsco River channel that was closed by the crash and collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Crews have reopened a 400-foot wide channel and hope to have the full 700-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel reopened by June 10 . Photo courtesy Maryland State Police Aviation Command.

President Joe Biden on Tuesday reiterated his administration’s support for restoring the Francis Scott Key Bridge and bringing business back to the Port of Baltimore and the communities that rely on the port for their livelihoods, according to a statement released Wednesday by the White House.

Biden’s comment followed Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) and Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul Wiedefeld’s meeting Tuesday with White House officials and officials from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Transportation Department and Federal Highway Administration. It was the latest in a series of meetings between state and federal officials working to clear the Patapsco River channel after the cargo ship Dali lost power in the early morning hours of March 26 and collided with a pier supporting the bridge, sending the center portion of the 1.6-mile span plunging into the river.

The White House said Tuesday’s meeting also focused on continued support for impacted workers, small business owners, and families of the victims of the bridge collapse.  Six of eight road-crew workers who were on the bridge at the time were killed in the crash, and one crew member on the ship was injured, but no other injuries were reported.

Wreckage from the bridge pinned the Dali in place for weeks, and debris in the river closed the Fort McHenry Federal Channel into the port. Teams were able to refloat the Dali and tow it back to port on May 2o. By that time, state and federal teams had cleared enough wreckage from the river that they were able to open a 400-foot-wide swath of the federal channel, permitting passage of all pre-collapse, deep-draft commercial vessels in the port.

The Unified Command working on the bridge continues to clear wreckage from the bottom of the Patapsco River, and said Wednesday that it expects to fully restore the Fort McHenry Federal Channel to its original 700-foot width and 50-foot depth by June 10 or sooner.

In the immediate aftermath of the crash and the bridge collapse, Biden vowed the federal government would fund the cost of replacement, but that would likely require congressional approval.  There has been no final estimate on the cost to replace the bridge, but Lloyd’s of London has said the incident could end up as the most expensive maritime insurance payout in history, with claims potentially approaching $4 billion.

Maryland approved contracts earlier this month with five law firms that will represent the state, as it seeks compensation for the Key Bridge collapse in what is expected to be a long and complicated legal fight.

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