Temporary, alternate channel established for commercial vessels after Key Bridge collapse

The U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary, alternate channel for commercially essential vessels near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main channel leading to the vital port, officials said.

Crews have begun the complicated work of removing steel and concrete at the site of the bridge’s deadly collapse into the Patapsco River after a freighter collision last week. On Sunday, dive teams surveyed parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in lifts used torches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure.

The captain of the port is preparing to establish the temporary channel on the northeast side of the main channel. It will have a controlling depth of 11 feet (over 3 meters), a horizontal clearance of 264 feet (80 meters) and a vertical clearance of 96 feet (29 meters), officials said. A video released Sunday showed the Coast Guard dropping buoys in the water.

“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” Capt. David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator of the response, said in a statement Sunday night. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”

On Monday, the Small Business Administration is opening a center in Dundalk, Maryland, to help small businesses get loans to help them with losses caused by the disruption of the bridge collapse.

The bridge fell as the crew of the cargo ship Dali lost power and control on March 26. They called in a mayday, which allowed just enough time for police to stop vehicles from getting on the bridge, but not enough time to get a crew of eight workers off the structure.

President Biden to visit Baltimore following last week’s collapse of Key Bridge

President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Baltimore on Friday after last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The president plans to meet with state and local officials and get an “on-the-ground look” at federal response efforts. Details on the exact time were not immediately available.

Also on Monday, the U.S. Coast Guard established a temporary, alternate channel for commercially essential vessels near the fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, part of a phased approach to opening the main channel leading to the vital port, officials said.

Mayor Scott: 2025 budget is balanced without raising taxes or cutting services

ONFIRE-TV.com – Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott released details of his $3.4 billion 2025 operating budget on Monday, saying he has closed a $61.9 million budget gap without raising taxes or cutting services.

The mayor cited some strategic moves and good economic timing for a balanced budget proposal.

“We are putting forth a budget that completely covers the gap without furloughing employees, closing fire stations or rec centers, and without cutting city services or turning our back on the priorities of Baltimore while moving forward,” Scott said. “It takes into consideration both the financial health of the city and the very real needs that we all have ahead of us.”

According to the mayor, the next fiscal year’s budget is smaller than this year’s spending plan by 3.4%. The mayor said he instructed agencies to find 5% savings.

As part of the plan, 89 vacant city positions have been frozen, education funding is not as high as expected, property tax assessments have increased by 6.7%, income tax receipts are up by 4.2%, investment earnings increased by 59.8%, and there is a 21.3% jump in state highway user fees.

The mayor said it’s too early to tell what kind of impact last week’s collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge could have on the city’s budget.

“At this point, it is still too early to tell fully how the bridge collapse will impact our overall financial outlook,” Scott said.

The administration took 55 vacant positions at the Baltimore Police Department off the books. There is no reduction in the force, and civilians will fill in, when necessary, with the help of a state grant.

Additionally, several other city departments have lost positions, they include:

– Departments of Public Works and Recreation and Parks: eight

– Enoch-Pratt Free Library: seven

– Baltimore Housing: five

– Department of Transportation: three

– Baltimore City Office of Equity and Civil Rights: two

– Department of Human resources: one

The mayor and city officials said the balanced budget proposal comes, in part, through savings and higher-than-anticipated property tax revenues, singling out south Baltimore as an area of growth.

“The good news that we are seeing on the residential side is that property, even though we are in this marketplace because of inflation, things have cooled, those properties are holding their value. That is really good news for the city’s overall property tax assessable base,” said Laura Larsen, the city’s budget director under the Bureau of the Budget and Management Research.

The mayor is also relying on future revenue-generating proposals.

After the city made a $650,000 investment in license plate readers, the mayor plans to establish a pilot initiative to enforce residential permit parking using the license plate readers.

Parking penalties that were waived during COVID-19 will return, and the mayor plans to introduce new parking tax legislation to close loopholes used by online brokers and apps. The mayor will seek an overall increase in parking fines and fees through the city’s Board of Estimates.

“What we are really trying to do there is to ensure that we are maximizing existing revenue streams into the general fund,” Larsen said.

The public will have some say in the budget, and the City Council has the authority to make changes. The lawmakers have until June 26 to adopt the plan.

Source: WBAL

Memorial held to remember 6 construction workers lost in bridge collapse

Marylanders are doing their part to ensure the men lost in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse will not be forgotten.

The six victims were honored Friday by workers who have jobs building and repairing roads. They not only wanted to pay tribute to the victims but to bring attention to how their work is critical and often dangerous.

Hard hats, candles and flowers were on display to remember those contractors who were filling potholes when the bridge went down.

“Essential workers who performed the dangerous yet critical work of the construction industry,” CASA’s Gustavo Torres said.

Video obtained by 11 News showed dashboard camera video of the work crew just two hours before the disaster. Two men survived. Divers found the bodies of two victims, the foreman on the job, Alejandro Hernandez-Fuentes, 35, of Baltimore, and worker Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, of Dundalk.

Four others are still missing, including Maynard Sauzo Sandoval, who lived in Owings Mills. He was the married father of two children. He was originally from Honduras and lived in the U.S. for 17 years. Miguel Luna lived in Maryland for 19 years. He was a married father of three children, originally from El Salvador. Through an interpreter, other construction workers talked about the dangers they face.

“And I ask myself what would happen if I were to get injured or even worse,” worker Erica Aleman said.

The gathering was also intended to bring attention to the number of immigrants who come to the U.S. and work in dangerous or hazardous conditions with little protection.

“One day, I had a fall, fell into another roof. This is an experience that put me into great danger at work,” remodeler Darwin Orlando Lopez said.

Workers said they will not forget the sacrifice made by the bridge collapse victims.

Source: WBAL

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