Governor emphasizes safety in bridge removal

By Megan Sayles | AFRO Business Writermsayles@afro.com It is still unclear when the rubble of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Dali container ship will be removed from the Patapsco River following the structure’s collapse on March 26. The Unified Command spent 10 hours cutting and lifting a 200-ton piece of the North section of the bridge out of the channel on March 30. They are scheduled to remove an estimated 350-ton span of the bridge on April 1, barring lightning. Governor Wes Moore stressed the need to prioritize safety over speed while cleanup efforts are underway. “I know there’s an urgency to move fast, and nobody feels that urgency more than the people standing up here today, but we have to be clear on the risks,” Moore said during an April 1 press conference. “This is a steel bridge that is sitting on top of a container ship in the middle of the Patapsco River. We’re talking about tons of steel that is mangled and tangled up and water that is so murky and so filled with debris that divers cannot see any more than a foot or two in front of them.” Crew members remained on board...