When will debris be cleared from Baltimore bridge collapse? Engineer explains the process

BALTIMORE -- WJZ spoke with the Army Corps of Engineers about when the debris from the Key Bridge collapse will be removed.

Right now, crews are focused on finding the bodies of the missing construction workers in the Patapsco River, but, eventually, the debris from the Key Bridge collapse will also need to be removed from the water. 

There is no timeline for when the debris will be removed.

"It's going to take some time," Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District Commander Col. Estee Pinchasin said. "We have to get the engineering right."

WJZ spoke with the Army Corps of Engineers, which maintains the federal navigation channels in and around the Chesapeake Bay and will work with the Coast Guard to reopen the waterway.

But, that arduous process won't begin until the bodies of six construction workers killed during the collapse are recovered. Until then, the Army Corps of Engineers is coordinating the manpower to do the removal. Two of the men were recovered at the site in a red pickup truck.

"We are marshaling significant heavy lift assets through our partners in the Navy, and we're also going to leverage our own debris removal capabilities," Col. Pinchasin said. "We're bringing in engineers from our bridge center of expertise. We're bringing in survey crews from our Philadelphia District teammates."

In the meantime, engineering experts with Johns Hopkins University are weighing in on the structural integrity of the Key Bridge and if there was anything that could've prevented the collapse.

"While it was shocking to see something made of steel and concrete come down so quickly, it wasn't really surprising given the size of the vessel in comparison to the bridge piers," JHU Civil and Systems Engineering Associate Teaching Professor Rachel Sangree said.

Our data journalists at CBS News looked into the bridge's integrity.

They learned it was in fair condition with a 6 out of 9 safety rating, just like 62 percent of all the bridges in the state.

Hopkins engineering experts tell WJZ the NTSB will now investigate the Key Bridge's protection systems, but there is not much that could've stopped the collapse given the size of the Dali.

They add that building a bridge structurally sound enough to withstand a crash like this one is not economically feasible.

The goal now is to learn from this tragedy.

"They're also reminders of the importance of continuous investments in our infrastructure systems," Sangree said.

While there is no timeline for when the debris removal will begin, once it does, WJZ is told it could take weeks or possibly months to finish.