Biden to visit Baltimore bridge collapse site Friday; no effect from NJ quake is seen so far on recovery effort

BALTIMORE — President Joe Biden on Friday will take an aerial tour of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge, meet with families of the six men killed and receive an update on the massive cleanup and rebuilding efforts that he’s promised the federal government will pay for.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson at the information center for the bridge said officials were unaware of any impact from the the 4.8-magnitude earthquake that struck New Jersey Friday morning on the recovery efforts. The quake rattled parts of Maryland and other states. Citizens reported feeling the quake in Baltimore and Annapolis, as well as the Eastern Shore and Washington, D.C.

Biden, a Democrat seven months away from an election rematch with former Republican President Donald Trump, has vowed to support Baltimore since a 984-foot shipping vessel hit the Key Bridge, sending it tumbling into the Patapsco River on March 26.

Democratic Gov. Wes Moore will join him on the aerial tour, and a host of federal, state and local leaders will participate in his briefing with the Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, a White House official said in a statement.

The operational update will include information on the work to clear the Port of Baltimore and reopening it to shipping traffic “as soon as humanly possible,” the official said.

“The president is continuing to lead a whole-of-government approach to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge,” the official said. “As the president said within hours of the collapse: This administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way.”

Biden’s visit will come a little over a week after he pledged to fully finance the bridge cleanup and rebuild.

A $60 million “down payment” was approved within days, allowing for vital cleanup work as cranes began arriving and removing the debris.

The Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that it was pushing an “ambitious timeline” to return port access to “normal capacity” by the end of May. A channel 280 feet wide and 35 deep that would allow barge container service and some vessels to pass through could also be open by the end of April.

Meanwhile, the remains of four of the six men who were killed when the bridge came down remain in the water, and the 21 crew members on board the Singapore-flagged Dali are still on board.

State officials are planning on tapping federal emergency relief funds for a bridge-rebuilding process for which planning is already underway. Most of that can be approved by Biden, though some will need congressional approval. Maryland Democrats like U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume, of Baltimore, have said they’ve been in contact with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and others about securing the rest.

Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young, in a letter to Congress last Friday, asked for them to ensure that the federal government pays for 100% of the costs. She said the administration would pursue “any compensation for damages or insurance proceeds” to reduce the burden on taxpayers.

The financial impact will be immense. Total costs for a new bridge could run high into the hundreds of millions, and insurance claims expected to reach $1 billion or more could make the collapse the maritime industry’s largest-ever financial loss.

Other officials expected to join the president Friday will be U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen, Mfume, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski Jr. and Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman. All are Democrats.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Linda Fagan and Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, chief engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers, will also be there, according to the White House. Fagan and Spellmon will join the aerial tour.

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(Baltimore Sun writer Christine Condon contributed to this report.)

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