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Dispatch audio from Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse sheds light on timeline of incident

Dispatch audio from Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse sheds light on timeline of incident
CONSTRUCTION WORKERS. WELL, TONIGHT WE ARE LEARNING MORE ABOUT THE EFFORTS TO CLEAR THE BRIDGE BEFORE THE COLLAPSE. AFTER THE MAYDAY CALL WENT OUT FROM THE SHIP, THE MTA DISPATCHED CREWS TO TRY AND GET ALL DRIVERS AND WORKERS OFF OF THAT BRIDGE. DESPITE THEIR EFFORTS, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME. TONIGHT, YOU CAN HEAR THOSE EFFORTS FOR YOURSELF. 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 IT. JUST LOST THEIR STEERING. SO UNTIL YOU GET THAT UNDER CONTROL, WE GOTTA STOP ALL TRAFFIC COMING OUT THE SOUTH SIDE. I’M. HOLDING TRAFFIC NOW. I WAS DRIVING WHEN WE STOPPED PRIOR TO THE BRIDGE, SO I’LL HAVE A WHOLE TRAFFIC STOPPED. 24. IS THERE A CREW WORKING ON THE BRIDGE RIGHT NOW? OKAY. ONLINE VIDEO. WHEN WE STOPPED TRAFFIC ON THEIR SITE RIGHT NOW. YEAH. IF WE COULD STOP TRAFFIC, JUST MAKE SURE NO ONE’S ON THE BRIDGE RIGHT NOW. I’M NOT SURE WHERE THERE’S A CREW UP THERE. YOU MIGHT WANT TO NOTIFY WHOEVER THE FOREMAN IS, SEE IF WE CAN GET THEM OFF THE BRIDGE TEMPORARILY. TIME FOR ONE OR THE OTHER UNIT GETS HERE. ALL RIGHT, UP ON THE BRIDGE. I HAVE ALL INTER-LOOP TRAFFIC STOPPED AT THIS TIME. ONCE YOU GET HERE, I’LL GO GRAB THE WORKERS ON THE KEY BRIDGE AND THEN STOP THE OUTER LOOP. SMASH THE WHOLE BRIDGE JUST FELL DOWN. START, START! WHOEVER. EVERYBODY. THE WHOLE BRIDGE JUST COLLAPSED. SIMPLE. DISPATCH IS DIRECT. IF YOU KNOW, FOR TRAFFIC. STOP. I CAN’T GET TO THE OTHER SIDE. SO THE BRIDGE IS DOWN. WE’RE GONNA HAVE TO GET SOMEBODY ON THE OTHER SIDE. ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY MSP TO GET UP HERE AND STOP TRAFFIC COMING NORTHBOUND. ON THE BRIDGE. C13 I’M HOLDING ALL TRAFFIC NORTHBOUND. IT’S ABSOLUTELY CHILLING. GOVERNOR WES MOORE HAS CREDITED THE SWIFT RESPONSE BY THOSE WORKERS FOR SAVING ADDITIONAL LIVES FROM BEING LOST IN THE COLLAPSE. TWO PEOPLE SURVIVED. CREWS AR
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Dispatch audio from Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse sheds light on timeline of incident
The dispatch calls from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police show just how close Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse came to being an even worse disaster.The transcripts of the audio from early Tuesday morning show the police only had a few minutes to shut down the highway as the bridge was on a collision course.A call went out just before 1:28 a.m.:Dispatch: "I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side to hold all traffic on the Key Bridge. There's a ship approaching, it just lost their steering, so until you get that under control, we got to stop all traffic."An officer reports that he stops all the outer-loop traffic from entering the bridge shortly after 1:28 a.m.Officer: "I'm holding traffic now. I was driving but we stopped prior to the bridge so I'll have all outer-loop traffic stopped."Listen: The minutes prior to the collapse (Audio provided by Broadcastify)Shortly after that call, an officer asks about the construction crew on the bridge.Dispatch: "Is there a crew working on the bridge? ... There's a crew up there. You might want to notify whoever the foreman is, see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily."Just before 1:29 a.m., an officer declares the inner-loop of the beltway closed and says he will check on the crew.Officer: "All inter-loop traffic is stopped at this time ... Once you get here, I'll go grab the workers on the Key Bridge."Less than 20 seconds later, the initial call of the collapse comes in.Officer: "C-13 dispatch. The whole bridge just fell down, start whoever, everybody, the whole bridge just collapsed!"Another officer confirmed the collapse, and dispatch attempted to confirm if traffic was stopped.Officer: "That is correct."Dispatch: "Do we know if all traffic was stopped?"Officer: "I can't get to the other side; the bridge is down. We're going to have to get somebody on the other side, Anne Arundel County, MSP, to get up here and stop traffic coming north down on the Key Bridge."

The dispatch calls from the Maryland Transportation Authority Police show just how close Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse came to being an even worse disaster.

The transcripts of the audio from early Tuesday morning show the police only had a few minutes to shut down the highway as the bridge was on a collision course.

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A call went out just before 1:28 a.m.:

Dispatch: "I need one of you guys on the south side, one of you guys on the north side to hold all traffic on the Key Bridge. There's a ship approaching, it just lost their steering, so until you get that under control, we got to stop all traffic."

An officer reports that he stops all the outer-loop traffic from entering the bridge shortly after 1:28 a.m.

Officer: "I'm holding traffic now. I was driving but we stopped prior to the bridge so I'll have all outer-loop traffic stopped."

Listen: The minutes prior to the collapse (Audio provided by Broadcastify)


Shortly after that call, an officer asks about the construction crew on the bridge.

Dispatch: "Is there a crew working on the bridge? ... There's a crew up there. You might want to notify whoever the foreman is, see if we can get them off the bridge temporarily."

Just before 1:29 a.m., an officer declares the inner-loop of the beltway closed and says he will check on the crew.

Officer: "All inter-loop traffic is stopped at this time ... Once you get here, I'll go grab the workers on the Key Bridge."

Less than 20 seconds later, the initial call of the collapse comes in.

Officer: "C-13 dispatch. The whole bridge just fell down, start whoever, everybody, the whole bridge just collapsed!"

Another officer confirmed the collapse, and dispatch attempted to confirm if traffic was stopped.

Officer: "That is correct."

Dispatch: "Do we know if all traffic was stopped?"

Officer: "I can't get to the other side; the bridge is down. We're going to have to get somebody on the other side, Anne Arundel County, MSP, to get up here and stop traffic coming north down on the Key Bridge."