Maryland lawmakers in Congress were already mulling legislation Tuesday to provide emergency funds to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore ahead of President Joe Biden’s promise to cover all reconstruction costs, a source familiar with discussions said.
The bridge, which spans 1.6 miles and carries Interstate 695 over the Patapsco River and outer Baltimore Harbor, suffered a partial structural collapse after a cargo ship struck one of its support columns early Tuesday morning. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, declared a state of emergency, and state officials said in a morning press conference that they were continuing search and rescue efforts.
The National Transportation Safety Board announced it will conduct an investigation into the incident, which involved a Singapore-registered container ship, dubbed Dali, that sent out a mayday distress call before the collision.
