Salvage efforts begin at Francis Scott Key Bridge

BALTIMORE - The Unified Command is starting to remove debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.  

At a press conference, Governor Wes Moore and leaders of the Unified Command emphasized that their number one priority is reopening the port of Baltimore. It's a long road ahead, but one of the first steps is happening today, March 30.  

Highly trained demolition crews will begin cutting a portion of the north side of the collapsed bridge into smaller sections which will then be removed by crane.  

This is a major step to clearing the wreckage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge and clearing the channel. 

Governor Wes Moore announced, "The north sections of the Key Bridge are going to be cut up and removed. This will eventually allow us to open up a temporarily restricted channel that will help us to get more vessels in the water around the site of the collapse."

Saturday, Moore said round-the-clock operations are underway to get the Port of Baltimore reopened as quickly and safely as possible -with 377 people actively engaged in response efforts. 

"Maryland's economy and Maryland workers rely on us to move quickly.", Moore stated. 

Thousands of jobs have been directly impacted by this collapse. 

Friday night, the Small Business Administration approved a disaster declaration. Small businesses affected by the collapse can now apply for disaster loan assistance from the federal government 

"Our priority is to make sure that all those thousands of Marylanders and others whose livelihood depends on the Port of Baltimore get back to work as soon as possible." U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen said. 

Applications are now open for those low interest loans of up to 2 million dollars and should be submitted online at lending.sba.gov by December 30, 2024.