Officials preparing to clear a section of the Key Bridge with explosives canceled the operation Sunday due to safety concerns after lightning was spotted in the area.
The team rescheduled the controlled detonation of the massive truss still resting on the cargo ship Dali for around 5 p.m. Monday, depending on the tide.
Crews plan to make precision cuts using small charges to break up the steel structure into pieces more easily removed by equipment. Authorities have estimated that the section they are targeting weighs up to 12 million pounds and is about 500 feet long.
The maneuver is expected to make it easier to refloat and move the Dali, which officials said they plan to attempt at high tide in the coming days.
The ship’s early-morning March 26 crash into a bridge support pier caused the total collapse of the nearly 50-year-old span, killing six construction workers. The sixth body was recovered recently, officials said Tuesday, bringing the recovery effort to a close and enabling crews to turn their attention to further restoring shipping access in the Patapsco River.
While the simultaneous explosions are expected to be a spectacle and sound similar to fireworks, it won’t be easy for onlookers to see.
The most accessible public place to view the bridge wreckage is Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine. It closes at 5 p.m. — about when the explosions are set to occur.
A 2,000-yard safety zone is in effect around the wreckage, along with flight restrictions, and a zero-tolerance policy remains for drone flyovers.
Workers have removed 6,000 tons of iron and concrete, according to the Key Bridge Unified Command. Officials said they are “highly confident” they’ll be able to fully clear and open a center channel, 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep, by the end of May.
