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The National Transportation Safety Board is set to vote on its findings about what caused the crash of a giant container ship last year baltimoreFrancis Scott Key Bridge, which collapsed and killed six construction workers.
A day after this, the board’s voting is to be held on Tuesday. maryland Officials more than doubled the estimated cost to replace the bridge and added two years to the estimated completion date – 2030. The new estimated cost is between $4.3 billion and $5.2 billion, compared to a previous estimate of about $1.9 billion.
Governor wes moore It was said Monday that preliminary estimates for the cost and timeline of reconstruction were in March 2024, less than two weeks after the bridge collapse.
“Since then, the national economic situation has worsened and material costs have increased,” said Moore, a Democrat. “At the same time, increased costs have resulted from federal design and flexibility standards – not because of discretionary state choices.”
The board is meeting in Washington to vote on the probable cause, safety recommendations and any changes to the previous report.
Investigators previously discovered a loose cable that could have caused electrical problems on the cargo ship branchwhich lost power and veered off course before hitting the bridge, according to documents released last year by NTSB,
When disconnected, the problematic cable triggered an electrical blackout on the ship, as it did when it approached the bridge on March 26, 2024, according to documents previously released by the NTSB.
Dali was traveling from Baltimore to Sri Lanka when his steering failed due to power failure. The 947-foot (289-meter) cargo ship collided with a support pillar of the bridge at about 1:30 p.m., causing the bridge to collapse into the Patapsco River.
Safety investigators released a preliminary report last year that documented a series of electrical issues on the ship before and after departure from Baltimore.
Records released by the NTSB after that initial report state that Dali first experienced a loss of power while it was docked in Baltimore. According to earlier reports, a crew member accidentally closed an exhaust damper during maintenance, causing one of the ship’s diesel engines to shut down. Crew members then altered the ship’s electrical configuration, switching from one transformer and breaker system – which had been in use for several months – to another that was active upon her departure.
According to investigation reports, that is the second transformer and breaker system where investigators found loose cables.
Engineers at Hyundai, the manufacturer of the ship’s electrical system, said the loose cable could create an open circuit and cause a breaker to open, according to a 41-page report detailing tests conducted aboard the cast in the weeks after the collapse. Engineers disconnected the cable as part of the simulation, resulting in a blackout on the ship.
Six road crewmen, who were filling potholes during an overnight shift, fell to their deaths when the bridge collapsed. Commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore was disrupted for months before the channel fully opened in June.
The NTSB has criticized the Maryland Transportation Authority for failing to address the bridge’s susceptibility to ship strikes despite major changes in maritime navigation since it opened to traffic in 1977. The board has called on other bridge owners to learn from the example.
The bridge, an old Baltimore landmark, was a vital part of the transportation infrastructure that allowed drivers to easily bypass the city. The original 1.6-mile (2.6-kilometre) steel span took five years to construct and opened to traffic in 1977. It was particularly important for the city’s port operations.
Crews are working on demolishing the remaining sections of the bridge, a process that began in July.