Demolition at Baltimore bridge collapse site
Summary
TLDRA planned demolition at the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse site has just taken place, with precision charges strategically detonated to remove wreckage and free a stranded ship. The operation was carefully executed to avoid a Hollywood-style spectacle, out of respect for the six workers who lost their lives in the disaster on March 26. The charges were placed at critical structural points to ensure the steel superstructure folded and fell into the Patapsco River, away from the ship. The aim is to clear the channel by the end of the month, allowing dredging cranes to remove the remaining debris and resume normal operations. The crew of the ship, who were relocated to the aft section during the demolition, are still on board, poised to react to any issues. The sensitive handling of the demolition reflects the gravity of the tragedy and the importance of both human life and the continuity of commerce.
Takeaways
- 📅 The demolition of the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse site was planned to occur on March 26th.
- 🚨 A warning system involving marine horn blasts was in place to signal the start of the demolition.
- 🛰️ Defense department contractors launched drones to capture images of the event.
- 💥 The term 'precision cutting' was used to describe the controlled demolition, emphasizing the strategic use of charges rather than a traditional explosive spectacle.
- 🔍 More than a dozen charges were placed at critical structural points on the steel superstructure to ensure a controlled collapse.
- 🌉 The goal of the demolition was to remove enough weight from the dolly ship to allow it to float and be moved out of the way.
- 🚢 The dolly ship was expected to be floated and backed out within two days after the demolition.
- 🏗️ After the ship's removal, dredging cranes would clear the remaining debris from the Baltimore Harbor channel.
- ⏰ The plan was to have the channel open by the end of the month following the demolition.
- 🔩 The choice to use demolition charges was influenced by the stress on the steel as it rested on the dolly, to prevent potential snapping and injury to workers.
- 📍 The highest charge on the bridge was set at 182 ft above the water line.
Q & A
What is the current event being reported in the transcript?
-The current event being reported is the planned demolition at the Baltimore key bridge collapse site, where a large section of wreckage is expected to be removed to free a ship and clear the channel.
Who are the news anchors reporting the event?
-The news anchors reporting the event are Lorenzo Hall and Leslie Foster.
What is the term used to describe the demolition technique?
-The term used to describe the demolition technique is 'precision cutting'.
What was the reason for using demolition charges instead of other methods?
-Demolition charges were chosen because the steel on the dolly was under stress, and there was a risk that it could snap and injure or kill workers if cut improperly.
When was the bridge collapse incident that led to this event?
-The bridge collapse incident occurred on March 26.
How many workers lost their lives in the bridge collapse?
-Six workers lost their lives in the bridge collapse.
What is the plan for the dolly ship after the demolition?
-The plan is to float the dolly ship and back it out within two days, allowing dredging cranes to remove the remaining debris and open up the channel.
What is the expected timeline for the channel to be fully open?
-The plan is to have the channel open by the end of the current month.
Where is the crew of the dolly ship located during the demolition?
-The crew of the dolly ship is located in the aft section of the ship, where the operations normally occur.
Why did the authorities wait to conduct the demolition?
-The demolition was conducted after the recovery of the last body of a bridge victim, which provided closure for the families and respect for the tragedy.
What is the significance of the demolition in terms of the local economy?
-The demolition is significant for the local economy as it will allow the harbor channel to reopen, enabling business and commerce to continue.
What safety measures were taken during the demolition?
-Safety measures included the use of precision charges placed at critical structural points, and the crew being positioned in a safe area of the ship in case of any problems.
Outlines
🚨 Live Coverage of Baltimore Key Bridge Demolition
The news report begins with an introduction to the imminent demolition of a large section of the wreckage from the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse. The event is significant as it is expected to clear the channel and free a dolly ship. The anchors, Lorenzo Hall and Leslie Foster, are joined by Scott Broom reporting live from Baltimore. Scott emphasizes the importance of the demolition, which was scheduled for 5 PM, by highlighting the precision cutting and strategic placement of charges to minimize the use of explosives. The demolition proceeds without the expected marine horn warnings, and the bridge wreckage is successfully removed using precision charges. The goal is to allow the dolly ship to float and be moved within two days, facilitating the dredging process and reopening the channel by the end of the month. The report also touches on the sensitivity surrounding the use of explosives due to the tragic loss of six workers and the strategic choice to proceed only after the recovery of the last victim's body.
🔍 Aftermath of the Francis Scott Key Bridge Demolition
This paragraph delves into the aftermath of the bridge demolition, with Scott Broom providing a detailed account of the event. He explains the precautions taken during the demolition, such as the strategic placement of charges to avoid a sudden snap of the steel, which could have endangered workers. The highest charge was set 182 feet above the water line. The report also discusses the status of the dolly crew, who remained on board in the aft section of the ship, ready to react to any issues that might arise. The crew's continued presence on the ship is highlighted as a common practice among international mariners. The report concludes with a reflection on the juxtaposition of the need to clear the channel for commerce and the respect for the six lives lost in the disaster. It also mentions the recovery of the victims' bodies, which was prioritized before proceeding with the demolition, and the governor's commitment to providing closure for the families of the deceased.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Baltimore Key Bridge Collapse
💡Demolition
💡Dolly Ship
💡Precision Charges
💡Marine Horn Blast
💡Poso River
💡Dredging Cranes
💡Francis Scott Key Bridge
💡NTSB Investigation
💡Stress on Steel
💡Closure for Families
Highlights
Live coverage of a planned demolition at the Baltimore Key Bridge collapse site.
A large section of wreckage is expected to be demolished piece by piece to free the dolly ship and clear the channel.
Scott Broom reports live from Baltimore, noting the demolition could happen at any moment.
Defense department contractors launch drones to capture images of the event.
The demolition is scheduled for five o'clock and is part of a disaster that occurred on March 26.
A warning horn blast will precede the demolition, signaling a one-minute heads up before the implosion.
The use of the term 'precision cutting' downplays the idea that explosives are being used.
More than a dozen charges are placed in critical structural points on the steel superstructure to ensure a controlled demolition.
The demolition is executed without the expected marine horn blasts, with a sudden '543' countdown.
The remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge are demolished using precision charges, with the aim of removing weight from the dolly.
The plan is to float the ship and back it out within two days to clear the way for dredging cranes.
The channel is expected to be open by the end of the month, facilitating business and commerce.
The dolly ship doesn't appear to have moved much after the weight was removed, indicating whether it has started floating.
The crew of the dolly remains on board, having been moved to the aft section of the ship for safety.
The use of demolition charges was chosen due to the stress on the steel, which could have caused it to snap and injure workers.
The highest charge on the bridge was set at 182 ft above the water line.
The demolition marks a significant step towards freeing the dolly and clearing the remains of the bridge from the harbor.
The sensitivity around the event is highlighted by the delay in demolition until after the recovery of the final bridge victim's body.
The Governor's priority was to recover the bodies of the six workers to provide closure for their families.
Transcripts
Breaking right now on W USA nine news of five,
we are just moments away from a planned
demolition at the Baltimore key bridge collapse site.
So a large section of wreckage you see
right there is expected to explode piece by piece
to free the dolly ship and ultimately get that channel cleared out.
Thank you for being here with us tonight at five. I'm Lorenzo Hall.
I'm Leslie Foster. It's been such a long time that it's been sort of just stuck there.
Let's get right to the our Scott Broom live in
Baltimore where this demolition could literally happen any moment now,
Scott,
well, Leslie,
you'll notice I'm not standing in front of the camera so
that there will be no obstruction to the view of this.
When it finally goes off, we just received, we believe a two minutes heads up.
A lot of the defense department contractors here
have just launched their drones to take pictures.
So it does appear this is on time. It was scheduled for
a five o'clock
demolition of that huge steel superstructure you see hanging off the
d
the sort of iconic view of this disaster that's
been there since it happened on March 26.
Now, what we're expecting here is a warning horn,
a long marine horn blast and that should give us about a one
minute heads up before it goes and then three short blasts of a horn
which will indicate a 10 count
to that implosion. Now, they're
using the term precision cutting when they've been talking about this,
they really have downplayed the idea that explosives are being used.
We've been told repeatedly
again and again, not to expect some sort of Hollywood spectacular
instead to expect
more than a dozen charges that have been
placed in critical structural points on that steel superstructure
that are going to go off
and break it in just such a fashion so that it folds up and falls into the
Poso River here away from the ship.
That's the plan.
The charges have been set at many of the critical junctures.
We can see black marks on the bridge where they have.
Oh,
we got five count.
Ok. There it goes,
the remains of the Francis Scott Keek bridge that
have been resting on the bow of the dolly
just demolished
using precision charges.
We were expecting the blast of marine horns for a heads up. That's not the way it went.
I heard somebody say 543 and stop talking
and there it goes, you can see the big puff of smoke.
It does appear to have gone off as the engineers
expected.
They wanted the blast to go off to break the bridge to get the weight off the dolly.
And for the remains of much of the bridge to fall away from the ship and into the water.
And that's exactly what we saw
still resting on the dolly right now
is a lot of the concrete roadway,
the remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge still there.
But they do believe
that they've removed enough of the weight or will
be able to remove an additional amount of weight
to be able to float that ship and back it out
within two days was the plan as we were briefed earlier today to get the ship out
of that position.
And that of course, clears away for these huge
dredging cranes that have been on site since the disaster to come in
and remove a lot of the remains we just saw fall into the Baltimore Harbor channel
and get the whole channel open. The plan is to still have this channel open
by the end of this month.
Now, we can see that the dolly
doesn't look like it moved much as that weight was removed. So
unclear whether or not the ship
had enough weight removed to begin floating a little higher in the water.
I don't see that,
but that's the plan
pretty dramatic moment here as we see the
remains of the Francis Scott Key bridge after this
huge calamity and disaster here in Baltimore. It's been
since March 22
when that ship hit
the bridge, brought it down the loss of life.
Six workers, the last of whom remains were found at
the end of last week clearing the way for this demolition
project to go. Another interesting note before we toss it back to you.
One of the reasons they chose demolition charges
was because that steel as it rested on a dolly was under stress.
And
if you can imagine say sawing through a piece of wood that's got weight on each end,
you saw it in the wrong place and it snaps
and then the wood potentially injures the person sawing it.
Well, imagine that on a giant scale
with steel as they were cutting it,
they were concerned that it had enough stress in it that it could literally snap
and injure or kill any of the workers that were up there.
The highest charge on the bridge was set at 182 ft
above the water line.
So there it is, you can see the aftermath of this. Now,
the remains of the Francis Scott key bridge blasted
and falling into the harbor clearing the way, hopefully for the removal
of the additional debris that's still resting on the dolly. And
the plan is to move the dolly
out of that position and towards a dock within two days.
Setting the stage for opening up the rest of
Baltimore's harbor reporting live from the remains of
the Francis Scott key bridge in Baltimore,
Scott Broom W
A nine. Back to you.
What
a sight there. And I got to
say
you mentioned that crew told us not to
expect any sort of Hollywood style explosion here.
But I got to say this looks pretty Hollywood to me the way it just crumbled there.
It's off of that ship. Finally,
you can see the front of the dolly as well. We haven't seen that vantage point.
It's pretty badly damaged from
when he hit the bridge back in late March and
just remarkable to see up close that part of the roadway
on top of the dolly Scott, we have been wondering for the better part of seven weeks.
Now,
what is happening with the crew of the dolly? Are they still on board the dolly?
What do we know about the status of the crew?
They are,
oh,
the S A,
they are still on board the dolly.
They were removed to the aft section of the ship.
Forgive me for getting into Mariner language. But
you see all the containers that are stacked on the ship. You can see the bridge where
all the operations of the ship occur under
normal circumstances about in the middle way,
in the back in the stern, the aft,
all the crew was removed to that location. They're still on a ship.
And the reason they're still there today importantly
is because they are best poised to react to any
sort of problem if anything had gone wrong. They are, after all the crew of the ship,
they have been interviewed by the NTSB and other investigators,
you have to remember when International Mariners sign up to go on a job,
they very rarely leave a ship in the many, many ports around the world where they call
it's all business until their contracts are up. Now.
Obviously, this is a unique situation,
but it is not unusual for the crew of a ship to stay on board for
months at a time.
And that's what's occurring with the crew
on the dolly if we are able to.
And unfortunately,
I'm not able to see what you're seeing on television at the moment.
But if we can get a second look at it, that
implosion or demolition, whatever you want to call it,
you're right. They warned us up repeatedly. Not that this was
not going to be a Hollywood production.
Part of that is sensitivity for the six lives that were lost here.
They really didn't want to make this seem like some sort of
spectacular
sort of event
that takes away from the immense tragedy that occurred here.
And in fact, it's notable that this
use of explosives and demolition did not occur until the final
body of a bridge victim was recovered late last week. Clearing the way
for what happened here. Yes. In fact, we saw
explosions and multiple points on the bridge.
A huge puff of smoke and quite a concussion
here from, I would say about three quarters of a mile distance
as
the demolition charges went off. So there you have it, the dolly
now a very significant measure more towards being freed and towed back to the dock
and more remains of the
Francis Scott Key bridge now detached from
the dolly thanks to these demolition charges
and resting on the bottom of the harbor where they will be much easier
to further demolish. Pick up and clear that channel by the end of the month,
this
interesting sort of juxtaposition of both humanity
and commodity, right?
Knowing that they have to move this to be able to fully open the channel for
business and commerce to continue,
but fully taking into consideration the sensitivity
of the people who serve those six
men were serving for the rest of us and they gave their lives in service
because of what happened here.
And we heard Governor Moore say, you know, before they got to this point,
that would be their priority,
recovering the bodies of those six workers to try
and give their families some sort of closure.
And as Scott mentioned,
the last uh person's body was recovered a short time
ago and that's why we're we're witnessing this moment today,
this critical moment
in clearing that channel as well.
We're going to talk about next steps when we see you back here at six o'clock, Scott.
Thank you.
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