8:17 a.m. ET, March 27, 2024
Transportation Sec. Buttigieg says investigations are ongoing into duty for bridge crash
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, middle, speaks right through a information convention close to the scene the place a container send collided with a beef up at the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Baltimore, on March 26.
Matt Rourke/AP
US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says if personal corporations are liable for the Francis Scott Key Bridge shipment send crash, they’re going to be held accountable.
“To be transparent: if any personal celebration is accountable and in control of this, then they’re going to be held responsible,” he informed CNN. “However we will be able to’t watch for that to play out to get to paintings presently,” he mentioned.
Buttigieg predicted a “lengthy highway to restoration” for the Francis Scott Key Bridge and the Port of Baltimore, telling CNN Wednesday that obtaining the bridge again up and the port reopen shall be a concern for the Biden management.
When requested if he had any thought when the Patapsco River channel would possibly reopen, Buttigieg mentioned he didn’t have an estimated time, however used to be running with related government, together with the USA Coast Guard, to get it open once imaginable. He famous that the stipulations of the remainder pier can even have an effect on that timeline.
“Now not most effective will we want to get the ones ships in, there are some ships which are already in there that may’t get out. So, it’s crucial to get that channel open,” he mentioned.
Buttigieg additionally warned of disruptions to offer chains within the near-term: “The have an effect on of this incident goes to be felt right through the area and actually right through our provide chains. We are speaking in regards to the greatest vehicle-handling port within the nation this is now out of fee till that channel will also be cleared — and a bridge that took 5 years to construct.”