Maryland governor and members of Congress to meet to discuss support for rebuilding collapsed bridge

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Monday he plans to meet with members of Congress this week to discuss support for rebuilding the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, which has blocked the main shipping channel at Baltimore’s port for nearly two weeks.

“I’m going to be spending part of this week with our delegation going down and meeting with leaders and ranking members in the Congress and letting them know that this issue is not partisan. This is a patriotic responsibility to be able to support one of this country’s great economic engines,” Moore said in an interview with The Associated Press. “This is an opportunity to support a port that is directly responsible for the hiring of tens of thousands of people.”

As Maryland lawmakers reached the end of their legislative session Monday, a measure authorizing use of the state’s rainy day fund to help port employees had strong support and was expected to pass.

The bridge collapsed March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for

police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork 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 focused on supporting the families of the six workers and bringing them closure.

“We are still very much focused on bringing closure and comfort to these

families, and the operations to be able to bring that closure to these families,” Moore said. “It has not stopped. It continues to be a 24/7 operation.”

Temporary, alternate channels have been cleared, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said last week that it expects to open a limited-access channel for barge container ships and some vessels moving cars and farm equipment by the end of April. Officials are aiming to restore normal capacity to Baltimore’s port by the end of May.

Moore was upbeat about progress in reopening channels.

KEY BRIDGE RESPONSE 2024 UNIFIED COMMAND VIA AP IN THIS PHOTO provided by the Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command, response crews begin removing shipping containers from the deck of the cargo ship Dali using a floating crane barge at the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on Sunday in Baltimore.