BALTIMORE, MD — The ship that took down Baltimore's Key Bridge, could be moved as soon as this week.
Crews have been working to remove bridge wreckage surrounding the Dali. Its been sitting in the Fort McHenry Channel for over a month.
The target date is to have the Dali out by Friday, according to an update from the Port of Baltimore.
Officials with Unified Command have stopped short of setting an exact date, saying there are too many factors at play.
One of those factors - the weather. We have storms in the forecast this week, and they will not send anyone up in a lift if there is a safety risk.
Salvors are making pre-cuts in the steel, where charges will be placed to conduct a controlled demolition.
The Unified Command says crushed containers, hull damage, and weight shifts are some of the most critical considerations crews have to take into account.
They're using tools called "inclinometers" that measure tilt on key locations of both the bridge and the ship to see how the tides and the wind are affecting them.
They're also using a sensor to make sure the span of the bridge doesn't slip or move, and they have string gauges to measure the stress of the steel while they're working.
Governor Wes Moore says this is all happening as quickly as possible, "So step one was the removal of many of the containers. We now have over 180 containers that have been removed from the Dali. Step two now is beginning the process of removing the Key Bridge from on top of the Dali. So the precision cutting is going to happen as quickly as possible because in order to open up the federal channel, we've got to remove the Dali from the premises."
Once the Dali is out of the way, a 45 foot limited access channel will reopen, allowing larger commercial ships to pass through again.
Normal operations should resume a couple of weeks later, once all the remaining wreckage is pulled from the river.
Also expected to happen this week - the NTSB said it will likely release its preliminary report from its investigation during the first week of May.
