The White House announced on April 1 that President Joe Biden would visit Baltimore, Maryland, on April 5.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the president would visit the site of the deadly March 26 Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
The huge cargo ship Dali lost power and crashed into a support pylon, causing major sections of the 1.6-mile-long steel truss bridge to collapse into Patapsco River.
Six road workers were killed in the accident that blocked the shipping channel leading to the Port of Baltimore.
While touring the damaged area, President Biden is planning to meet with local and state leaders, including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, according to Ms. Jean-Pierre.
She mentioned that the administration has coordinated with local authorities to get barges, cranes, and an initial infusion of funds for the scene.
“As the president said within hours of the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said.
She added the administration is working with Congress to ensure that the federal government will pay to rebuild the bridge.
The president announced that he would make the trip to the crash site where the Singaporean-flagged cargo ship carrying some 4,700 containers rammed into the bridge at 1:28 a.m. on March 26.
Six construction workers were on the bridge when three of its center portions of the bridge fell into the river.
Two bodies were found the following day. There are four more people who are assumed to have been trapped under the wreckage of the bridge.
Based on the ship’s Mayday call, the Baltimore police were able to restrict access to the bridge, significantly reducing the number of fatalities that occurred.
A significant economic engine for the city and the region, the Port of Baltimore is undergoing salvage work to reopen the shipping channel that leads into the docks.
Officials have not been ready to guess how long the port will remain closed, with the livelihoods of more than 8,000 people in jeopardy.
It also forces the redirection of approximately 3,000 shipping containers every day to other ports along the East Coast.
Baltimore is 10th in the country for shipments of dry bulk materials and is one of the 20 largest U.S. ports. It is a significant center for importing and exporting agricultural machinery and automobiles.
Interstate 695, which functions as the outer beltway of Baltimore and transports around 30,000 vehicles a day, includes the bridge.
Rebuilding the structure is widely anticipated to be a job that will take several years to complete, even though President Biden has stated that he would “move heaven and earth” to reopen the transportation channels.
Those in charge of the rebuilding effort in Maryland have requested emergency financing from the federal government.
According to Senator Chris van Hollen (D-Md.), the Army Corps of Engineers will pick up the tab for clearing the channel.
“[President Biden] has ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to do everything necessary to clear the channel so that we can reopen those shipping lanes,” Mr. Van Hollen told reporters on March 27.
“The Army Corps of Engineers and the federal government will pick up the costs for that,” he added.
Preliminary estimates place the cost between $40 million and $50 million, according to Mr. Van Hollen.
Lawrence Wilson and Reuters contributed to this report.
From The Epoch Times
