Major Baltimore Bridge collapses after hit by cargo ship
Mar 26, 2024 15:45:49 GMT
brookie, Sarzy, and 2 more like this
Post by notoriousmkg on Mar 26, 2024 15:45:49 GMT
For this area, this is a really huge deal. Basically, Baltimore and Washington DC both have "beltways" that are highways that completely encircle the city. In the case of DC, it's 495. For Baltimore, it's 695. I've done both for many years, and 695 is bad on a GOOD day -- the road is in worse shape and the drivers seem to be people who were just let out of a mental institution. Last year, two lunatics (a middle-aged woman on some kind of drugs, and a 20-something guy) were racing each other at 121 mph (194 Km/hr) on 695 when there cars bumped each other, and sent one of them careening into a construction area that killed 6 workers instantly.
Regardless, the clip of it happening is out there and it's like total devastation - like a house of cards falling.
There are alternate routes around this, but it's going to be like 2 years, and a couple billion to fix it. Amazon has a major distribution center at one end of the bridge. I wonder what they're thinking.
It's about 3 miles from where I'm sitting right now, and amazingly my exit is the last one open before the road closes.
www.wbal.com/cargo-ship-lost-power-and-issued-mayday-before-hitting-baltimore-key-bridge-gov-moore-says/
BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.
The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to break apart like a toy. It tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds — a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
The crash happened long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event.” Two people were rescued, and officials said six people were still unaccounted for. All were believed to be those working on the bridge when it collapsed.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
Authorities said a crew of unknown size was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse and that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep. The water temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) before dawn Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.
Cartwright called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.
Regardless, the clip of it happening is out there and it's like total devastation - like a house of cards falling.
There are alternate routes around this, but it's going to be like 2 years, and a couple billion to fix it. Amazon has a major distribution center at one end of the bridge. I wonder what they're thinking.
It's about 3 miles from where I'm sitting right now, and amazingly my exit is the last one open before the road closes.
www.wbal.com/cargo-ship-lost-power-and-issued-mayday-before-hitting-baltimore-key-bridge-gov-moore-says/
BALTIMORE (AP) — A container ship lost power and rammed into a major bridge in Baltimore early Tuesday, causing it to snap and plunge into the river below. Several vehicles fell into the chilly waters, and rescuers searched for survivors.
The operators of the ship issued a mayday call moments before the crash that took down the Francis Scott Key Bridge, enabling authorities to limit vehicle traffic on the span, Maryland’s governor said.
The ship crashed into one of the bridge’s supports, causing the structure to break apart like a toy. It tumbled into the water in a matter of seconds — a shocking spectacle that was captured on video and posted on social media. The vessel caught fire, and thick, black smoke billowed out of it.
The crash happened long before the busy morning commute in what one official called a “developing mass casualty event.” Two people were rescued, and officials said six people were still unaccounted for. All were believed to be those working on the bridge when it collapsed.
“Never would you think that you would see, physically see, the Key Bridge tumble down like that. It looked like something out of an action movie,” said Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, calling it “an unthinkable tragedy.”
Authorities said a crew of unknown size was working on the bridge at the time of the collapse and that sonar had detected cars in the water, which is about 50 feet (15 meters) deep. The water temperature was about 47 degrees Fahrenheit (8 degrees Celsius) before dawn Tuesday, according to a buoy that collects data for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Earlier, Kevin Cartwright, director of communications for the Baltimore Fire Department, told The Associated Press that several vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including one the size of a tractor-trailer truck. The bridge came down in the middle of night when traffic would be lighter than during the day when thousands of cars traverse the span.
Cartwright called the collapse a “developing mass casualty event,” though he didn’t know at the time how many people were affected.
