Demolition of a key section of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge set for this afternoon after weekend weather delays

The planned demolition of a key portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge is set to begin Monday after inclement weather, including lightning, forced the operation to be postponed over the weekend.The demolition, which includes using small explosives to break apart a massive chunk of the Baltimore bridge that collapsed on a cargo ship nearly seven weeks ago, was originally set for Saturday, but bad weather forced officials to push the operation to Sunday before it was eventually rescheduled for 5 p.m. Monday, the Coast Guard said.

The planned demolition will help officials remove debris and ultimately free the 213-million-pound Dali cargo ship, which veered off course March 26 and struck a pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing it to fall into the Patapsco River below.The collapse killed six construction workers and destroyed a key thoroughfare, threatening the economy at the Port of Baltimore. It also sparked multiple

 investigations into what went wrong and who is responsible. Monday’s planned demolition comes days ahead of a Wednesday hearing scheduled by the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, with testimony expected from the chair of the National Transportation Safety Board and officials from the Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of Transportation.We will absolutely not sacrifice safety for speed,” the Coast Guard’s Nick Ameen said Sunday of the weather delay. “Whenever there’s a lightning strike in the area, that pushes the clock back, and so that clock just kept getting pushed back and pushed back.”

The 21 members of the ship’s crew – who have not left the ship since it struck the bridge – will remain onboard during the operation, according to Darrel Wilson, a spokesperson for Synergy Marine Group, which manages the Dali.

“They will have a safe place on the vessel where they can shelter during the controlled explosion,” Wilson said, adding the crew was “holding up well” despite the stress of recent weeks.

“Even though they are not sailing, they are still performing their normal crew duties,” Wilson said. “This is still a large, complicated piece of equipment and there is a lot they have to look after.”

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