Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Wednesday that replacing a major bridge spanning Baltimore Harbor “will not be quick or easy or cheap” — as he prepared to convene industry leaders to discuss supply chain issues caused by debris blocking marine traffic in and out of the port.
The 1.6-mile Francis Scott Key Bridge, which dramatically collapsed early Tuesday when it was struck by the massive container ship Dali, took five years to build before it opened in 1977, signaling a potentially lengthy recovery, Buttigieg said.
“Rebuilding will not be quick or easy or cheap,” the transportation chief warned during the regular White House briefing.
“That does not necessarily mean it will take five years to replace [the bridge]. But that tells you what went into that original structure going up,” Buttigieg added.
“We need to get a sense of the conditions of the parts that look OK to the naked eye, but we just don’t know yet, especially in terms of their foundational infrastructure.”
Buttigieg also said it was “too soon to venture an estimate” on when the Port of Baltimore might reopen, a process he said would require the removal of bridge debris — including a section of the span that pushed the bow of the ship to the harbor’s bottom.
Baltimore is the country’s top port for receiving shipments of cars — creating potential upward pressure on vehicle prices — and is an important conduit for coal exports and farm-equipment imports.
The port processed imports and exports of 847,158 cars and light trucks last year, according to the office of Maryland Democratic Gov. Wes Moore.
The 52-year-old bridge also carried an estimated 33,000 vehicles a day on Interstate 695 — also known as the Baltimore Beltway — before it collapsed.
Six road construction workers are believed to have died in the incident, which is thought to have been caused by a propulsion failure of unexplained origin aboard the Dali.
The Singapore-flagged ship’s mostly Indian crew was able to alert authorities of its steering issue before striking the bridge at 1:28 a.m., ensuring that vehicle traffic was halted in time to avoid any passenger cars or trucks plunging into the harbor.
Buttigieg, the 42-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Ind., accepted the typically low-profile Cabinet position after a surprisingly strong showing in the 2020 Democratic presidential primaries.
Everything you need to know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge’s collapse in Baltimore
- The Dali, the Singapore-flagged container ship that smashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore and destroyed it early Tuesday, reportedly lost propulsion and tried to warn officials that it was going to crash, according to a report.
- Six people were unaccounted for, according to authorities. Two people were pulled from the river by rescuers.
- Seven vehicles were missing after falling from the 1.6-mile-long span. Officials are using sonar technology to find the vehicles.
- Videos show power on the ship flickering off, and then on again, shortly before the crash. Watch footage of the bridge’s collapse here.
- A Baltimore resident described how the horrifying collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday caused his entire house to feel like it was falling down.
- The Dali was also involved in a collision while leaving the Port of Antwerp, Belgium, in 2016.
Follow along with The Post’s coverage of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore.
Buttigieg has confronted a series of high-profile crises — often yielding criticism from Republicans — during his three years in office, including COVID-19-related supply chain issues that contributed to high inflation, a toxic train derailment last year in East Palestine, Ohio, and recent safety issues with Boeing aircraft.
