Maryland Gov. said. Wes Moore on Monday said he plans to meet with members of Congress to discuss support for rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which has blocked the main shipping channel in the port of Baltimore for nearly two weeks.
“I will spend part of this week with our delegation going down and meeting with leaders and ranking members in Congress and letting them know that this issue is not partisan. It is a patriotic responsibility to support one of the great which is the economic engine of this country,” Moore said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is an opportunity to support a port that is directly responsible for hiring tens of thousands of people.”
As Maryland lawmakers reached the end of their legislative session Monday, a measure authorizing the use of the state’s rainy day fund to help port employees was approved and sent to Moore’s desk. The governor planned to sign the emergency law on Tuesday, taking it into effect immediately.
MARYLAND’S RISING STAR DEM GOVERNOR TO FACE FIRST NATIONAL TEST AFTER BALTIMORE BRIDGE FALLS
The bridge collapsed on March 26 after being hit by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a road work crew filling potholes on the bridge.
Authorities believe six workers – immigrants from Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River. Two others survived. The bodies of three workers have been recovered, but the search for the other victims continues.
Moore said the state remains committed to supporting the families of the six workers and bringing them closure.
Maryland Gov. spoke. Wes Moore about ongoing work at the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site, as well as the last day of the state legislative session, during an interview in his office on April 8, 2024, in Annapolis, Maryland. (AP Photo/Brian Witte)
“We are still committed to bringing closure and comfort to these families, and the operations to bring that closure to these families,” Moore said. “It hasn’t stopped. It’s still a 24/7 operation.”
Temporary, alternate channels have been cleared, and the US Army Corps of Engineers said last week it expects to open a limited access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving vehicles and equipment in the field at the end of April. Officials aim to restore normal capacity at the port of Baltimore by the end of May.
Moore was upbeat about the progress in reopening the channels.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He said that if he had been told on the morning of the collapse that there would be two channels open in two weeks, “I would say that’s really ambitious, considering what we’ve seen, but here we are.”
The governor also spoke about progress in removing the debris, saying crews pulled 350 tons of steel from the Patapsco River on Sunday.
More than 50 salvage divers and 12 cranes were on site to help cut sections of the bridge and remove them from the main waterway. Crews began removing containers from the deck over the weekend, and are making progress toward removing sections of the bridge opposite the ship’s bow so it can move completely, according to Key Bridge Response Unified Command.
