The dispatch audio recorded by Maryland Transportation Authority Police shows the brief time period authorities had to prevent traffic from entering the 'Francis Scott Key bridge' in Baltimore, Maryland. Francis Scott Key bridge as a cargo ship was heading towards it.
The audio reveals they had approximately 100 seconds to stop the traffic before the ship caused the bridge to collapse, putting people in the water. They did manage to stop the traffic, potentially saving lives, but they didn't have enough time to warn the crew working on the bridge fixing potholes. You can listen to the audio below.
Paul Wiedefeld, the Secretary of the Maryland Department of Transportation, mentioned that there were eight construction workers on the bridge repairing potholes. Six are still missing, while two were saved. Wiedefeld stated that it's uncertain how many vehicles were on the bridge when it collapsed.
The audio was uploaded by Dave Statter from Statter 911.
Dave Statter shared the audio, saying, “As I shared as this tragedy unfolded early this morning there was a warning that Maryland Governor Wes Moore now confirms saved lives. This is the radio traffic from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police stopping traffic on the Key Bridge after being warned the approaching ship lost steering. Watch the time checks as you listen. They only had about 100 seconds before the bridge collapsed.”
Here’s what you need to know:
The audio indicates that the police succeeded in stopping traffic on the Baltimore Bridge
The audio shows the limited time authorities had to evacuate the crew from the bridge.
A man in the dispatch audio said, “I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side. Hold all traffic on the Key bridge. There's a ship approaching that just lost their steering. So until that’s under control, we have to stop all traffic.”
A man responded, “I’m en route to the south side.”
“I’m holding traffic now. I was driving, but we stopped prior to the bridge. So, I’ll have all traffic stopped.”
“10-4. Is there a crew at work on the bridge right now?” the first man said.
It's difficult to understand the response.
“Yeah, if we can stop traffic. Just make sure no one’s on the bridge right now. I’m not sure if there’s a crew up there, you might want to notify whoever the foreman is to see if we can get him off the bridge temporarily.”
“10-4. Once the other unit gets here, I’ll ride up on the bridge. All interlude traffic at this time.” He said workers on the bridge would be notified.
“All traffic stopped at this time. Once you get here” he said he’d notify the foreman.
“The whole bridge just fell down,” a man said. “The whole bridge just collapsed.”
“Do we know if all traffic was stopped?” a man said.
“I can’t get to the other side sir. The bridge is down,” another man said, adding that they need to contact other authorities to stop all traffic on the other side.
“I’m holding all traffic northbound,” a man says.
The Governor Confirmed That Traffic Was Stopped on the Bridge, Indicating the Action Saved Lives
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said in a news conference that the teams trying very hard to rescue the victims. He mentioned that at the moment it seems like it was an accident, and there's no solid proof of a terrorist attack. He also mentioned that there were construction workers on the Key bridge.
Moore mentioned that a distress signal was sent and the traffic was halted on the bridge prior to the collapse. According to Moore, a lot of the vehicles were stopped before they reached the bridge, which prevented loss of lives.
The names of the victims have not yet been made public.
