Secretary Pete Buttigieg says 'work is underway' in Key Bridge salvage, rebuild efforts

BALTIMORE - Opening the Port of Baltimore and rebuilding the Key Bridge are two of the top objectives, government leaders say.

However, Maryland received $60 million of emergency relief funding to get the efforts rolling.

"Neither one of those are getting done overnight," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told WJZ on Tuesday. "The work is underway. We've been able to move $60 million to help with that bridge reconstruction and related activities. All of that is back to the road to normal for everyone who has been impacted by this."

On March 26, the cargo ship Dali crashed into Baltimore's bridge, sending eight construction workers into the water. Two were recovered in a submerged truck, while four others remain missing and are presumed dead.

Buttigieg spoke with WJZ about the federal government's response and the federal government's long-term role.

Crews are cutting and removing portions of the collapsed bridge to clear shipping channels, but Maryland Gov. Wes Moore says we are a long way away from that channel being clear. 

Buttigieg says there are a lot of questions still to answer. 

There is no timeline for when the Port of Baltimore will be back open for vessel, when the disaster site will be cleared or when the bridge will be back up.

"Right now there are still unanswered questions about the conditions of the portions of the bridge that did not collapse," Buttigieg said. "Getting a full assessment of that is going to be important. There will also be some challenging questions ahead about exactly how to reconstruct."

The $60 million in quick release emergency relief funds arrived days after the bridge collapse to help with recovery and rebuilding efforts. 

Last week, President Biden said he intends to push the federal government to pay for the entire reconstruction of the bridge. 

"I hope and expect that this will be a topic of bipartisan support in Congress," Buttigieg said. "To be clear, we do have some funds more available now, but there is a high likelihood that we will need to turn to Congress for more support. I know this is a divided Washington, I know there is a lot of partisanship out there, but there is nothing partisan about this. I think America is at its best when we pull together around any community that is hurting. Today, we all know that community is Baltimore."

President Biden is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Friday.