By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Joe Biden will travel to Baltimore on Friday following last week’s deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said.
The steel truss bridge collapsed early on Tuesday, killing six road workers, when a massive container ship lost power and crashed into a support pylon. Much of the span fell into the Patapsco River, blocking the Port of Baltimore’s shipping channel.
Biden is expected to meet with state and local leaders – including Maryland Governor Wes Moore – as he tours the damage area, Jean-Pierre said. She noted that the administration has already worked with local leaders to secure barges and a crane for the scene, along with an early influx of money.
“As the president said within hours of the collapse, this administration will be with the people of Baltimore every step of the way,” Jean-Pierre said.
She added the administration is working with Congress to ensure that the federal government will pay to rebuild the bridge.
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(Reporting By Steve Holland and Jarrett Renshaw; editing by Jonathan Oatis)