Again, a moment to pause & appreciate the cool professionalism of those in & around the Key Bridge at 1:24 am Tuesday. Shipās pilot radios in that ship has lost steerage & will hit bridge. Someone (maritime control?) transmits urgent alert to Maryland/Balt police dispatchā¦ ā>
2/ Police dispatched with just a few crisp phrasesāship has lost steering, close the bridge to trafficāand race to do just that. No time for confusion. No time for ā¦ āWhat do you mean, close the bridge? Who says?ā 4 minutes, alert to collapse. Bridge successfully closedā¦ ā>
3/ Thatās amazing. Again, a system workedāa government system. All those people just ordinary frontline workers in anonymous, sometimes invisible jobs. Maritime radio operators. Police/fire dispatchers. Bridge police & state police. All working 11p to 7a oānight shift. ā>
4/ Cool, direct, urgent, successful. Maybe not a college degree or a 6-figure salary among themāand they used their training & experience at the most critical, high-pressure moment to save lives. All day, every dayāthat happens & we donāt see it. Thatās your ādeep state.ā ā>
5/ Just in Port of Baltimore, 45 cargo container ships come & go every 24 hours. 16,000 ships a year. They require all this guidance all the time (and US has 8 LARGER ports). Each ship with 5,000 containers loaded & unloaded. Not to mentionā¦ ā>
6/ The 8 construction workers on the bridgeāpatching potholes in the middle of the night, so the road stays maintained, at a time that reduces inconvenience to us (and yes, is easier for them too because of low traffic). Every nightā¦ ā>
7/ Every night, 5 or 6 days a wk, men & women just like them do that dangerous work on interstates & bridges in all 50 states. Hereās the moment: An officer who closed one of the approaches says on radioā¦āCan we notify the construction workers? Can we call the supervisor?ā ā>
@cfishman I really appreciate this thread. There are always so many unsung heroes that serve critical roles in our lives that keep the wheels turning.
@cfishman Roadway construction at night is very dangerous for workers. And itās expensive when you contract it out. Itās predominantly for the convenience of the motoring public and to get the job done faster.
@cfishman All the workers were reportedly immigrants, doing hard work that perhaps others weren't willing to do. I hope their families (both local and back home) are well-taken care of and compensated.
@cfishman Now letās ensure the road crews have communication tools to receive/send emergency warnings. The loss of 6 dedicated workers is a tragedy. Make sure to learn from this experience.
@cfishman My understanding is the Men (havenāt heard any were Women) working on the Bridge in the middle of the night, doing asphalt repairs & patching were IMMIGRANTS. The work āmost Americans donāt wantā. Havenāt heard a damn thing about their hard work thatās now KILLED them. MAGAās?!
@cfishman So WHY didn't port authority or whatever have radio comms with the workers? Are they dusposable ?