It's been exactly eight weeks since the Francis Scott Key bridge collapsed.
Unified Command also made a significant milestone Monday when they successfully refloated the Dali, the ship that struck the bridge, back to port. Five tugboats escorted the cargo vessel to the Seagirt Marine terminal traveling at a speed of one mile per hour.
Standing on the shores of the Patapsco River, Gov. Wes Moore on Tuesday said that while "monumental progress” has been made, he will not rest until a new Key Bridge is constructed.
“In this administration, we finish what we start,” said Moore. “I'm very moved by the fact that I can now look out over the Patapsco River and not see the Dali anymore. It’s a beautiful site. But, I will not be satisfied until I can look over this same site and see the Francis Scott Key Bridge standing again. That's mission completion.”
Preliminary estimates indicate that a new bridge could be completed in fall 2028. The governor said the first step is securing funding to meet that timeline. He emphasized his ongoing push with Congress to adjust the cost-share from 90% federal and 10% state for the rebuild. Moore and other lawmakers including president Joe Biden are pushing for the federal government to cover 100% to replace the roadway.
He added that protecting critical infrastructure throughout the state continues to be his focus.
IMMEDIATE PLANS:
At that news conference, Coast Guard Rear Admiral Shannon Gilreath outlined the more immediate steps to fully restore operations at the Port of Baltimore. He said that over 500 commercial vessels have used temporary channels opened around the wreckage to access the port.
“Later today we will reopen a 400 foot wide by 50 foot deep channel to 24/7 operations,” Gilreath said. “We will continue working on the rest of the federal channel to get it to that 700 foot width. And we are still aiming for the end of May for completion of that.”
Gilreath added that crews will continue removing bridge debris and making repairs to the Dali.
The vessel is expected to remain docked at the pier for another four to six weeks. Aboard the vessel is the 21-member crew, composed of Indian and Sri Lankan nationals, who have remained on board since the collapse. Moore sounded optimistic that the crew would receive shore leave at some point.
