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Video by Bobby Petty

Unified Command removes final large bridge segment, nears complete restoration of Baltimore's federal channel

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District

June 4, 2024 | 16:13

This b-roll, captured June 3-4, 2024, shows Unified Command crews lifting and removing a 420-short-ton segment of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge from the bottom of the Patapsco River. First pounding for hours on Day with a concrete breaker, then making surgical cuts with blow torches on Day 2, salvors successfully separated tons of concrete roadway and rebar from “Section 4C” – the final large segment of steel truss blocking about 40% of the 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep Fort McHenry Federal Channel. In many of these video clips, salvage work is ongoing in the background, as barges and clamshell dredge grabs remove additional residual wreckage to be transported to Sparrows Point, Maryland, for processing. Index (31 clips total): Day 1: 0:00-1:06: Section 4C lifted to the water’s surface for a closer inspection by salvors 1:06-1:31: Close-ups of a concrete breaker used to separate I-695 roadway from 4C, restricting 4C from being fully lifted above the water by the Chesapeake 1000 (“Chessy”) floating crane 1:31-2:50: Close-ups of clamshell dredge grab lifting tons of mud, concrete and steel onto a nearby barge 2:54-3:04: Wide shots, later in the afternoon, of 4C raised above the water, revealing tons of mangled roadway and rebar wrapped around the steel framework 3:04-6:14: Diver operations (ladder & umbilical) for a closer look of 4C partially raised in the water 6:14-7:11: Close-up shots of broken pier and I-695 where the bridge fell in the water (note 55 mph sign still standing on roadway) Day 2: 7:16-8:56: First reveal of mangled roadway and rebar wrapped around 4C’s steel framework, still hanging from the bottom of 4C, preventing full lift 8:56-12:23: Various close-up angles of salvors progressively using oxyacetylene torches to cut away “hangers” from the main 4C structure 12:23-14:45: Background: Clamshell dredge grab removing ton of mud & residual wreckage from the Federal Channel Foreground: Salvors still using oxyacetylene torches to cut away remaining hangers from Section 4C 14:45-14:58: Section 4C, just prior to the final lift 14:58-16:00: Section 4C, completely free of all remaining hangers, awaiting transport to Sparrows Point 16:00-16:13: Pointing northward from the Federal Channel, Key Bridge piers and an empty salvage barge traversing the Federal Channel to receive additional wreckage from ongoing dredge operations