In order to liberate the cargo ship Dali, which collided with and destroyed the bridge in March, from the fallen structure, a sizable steel section of the collapsed bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, was demolished using a controlled precision-cut demolition technique.
Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott thanked the demolition crew in a post on Monday on X, citing their “flawless, safe execution of these precision cuts” (Xinhua news agency report).
“This is an important milestone in our effort to clear the channel. We’re going to get it done the right way — together,” he noted.
The demolition has been postponed twice to Monday evening due to the weather.
Significant milestone achieved tonight with controlled explosives successfully detonated helping to break apart the bridge and start to free the Dali vessel.
Incredible work by the entire Unified Command. @USACEBaltimore @USCG pic.twitter.com/vkNZf039cz
— Port of Baltimore (@portofbalt) May 13, 2024
“The safest and swiftest method to remove the bridge piece from on top of the M/V Dali is by precision cuts made with small charges,” said the Key Bridge Response Unified Command, which coordinates response operations to the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, in a statement last week, adding that “This is an industry-standard tool in controlled demolition that will break the span into smaller pieces, which will allow the work of refloating the vessel and removing it from the federal channel”.
The major 2.6-kilometer Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carried Interstate 695, collapsed on March 26 as a result of being struck by a sizable container ship that had been without power prior to the collision.
Following the incident, eight people entered the water; two of them were rescued from the Patapsco River, while one remains in critical condition.
The tragic incident claimed the lives of six road maintenance workers who were allegedly fixing potholes on the bridge.
The sixth and last worker who had gone missing following the collapse of the bridge has been found, according to officials, who made the announcement last Tuesday.
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