Maryland Gov. Moore says he will "never forget" meeting families of Key Bridge collapse victims

In a sit down interview with WJZ, Maryland Governor Wes Moore reflected on the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which happened one year ago today. 

Moore recounts the morning of the Key Bridge collapse

The collapse happened after one of the Key Bridge's support columns was struck by a malfunctioning cargo ship in the early morning of March 26, 2024. Eight construction workers filling potholes on the bridge at the time of the collapse fell into the Patapsco River below. Two of the workers were rescued from the water, while the remaining six workers died. 

Moore said he'll never forget when he got the early morning call from Fagan Harris, his chief of staff, informing him that the Key Bridge was gone.

"You know, good news waits until the morning, it's always the bad news that wakes you up. And the first words, he said - Governor, I'm so sorry. He said, The Key Bridge is gone," Moore recounted.

Among Moore's most unforgettable memories from the morning of the collapse, was his meeting with the families of the collapse victims, who looked to him for answers. 

"The things I will never forget that morning was when they brought me in to meet with all the families who, at that time, were just they were still looking for answers and still holding out hope," Moore said. "I said, we will, we will stop at nothing to do everything that we can do to bring our family members back home." 

After that promise, crews began working to recover the victim's bodies from the Patapsco River.

After several weeks, the bodies of Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, 38, Carlos Hernandez, 24, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, 49, and Jose Mynor Lopez, 35, were recovered. 

Moore also commended the first responders for their work on the morning of the collapse, nothing that their work likely saved more lives. 

"I keep on thinking about those first responders who just saved countless lives by just closing off the bridge, and who moved without instructions, but just thought this was the right thing to do," Moore said. "Cars would have kept on coming without realizing the bridge was gone."

Funding for the new Key Bridge 

Last year, Maryland lawmakers announced that the federal government would cover the full cost of replacing the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. This funding was included in a federal spending bill that Congress passed in December 2024. 

Despite a new presidential administration, Moore said, "Every indication that we have received is that Washington is going to stand by their promise, and they need to."

Moore said the Key Bridge collapse is the most expensive maritime tragedy in U.S. history.

The entire project is expected to cost approximately $2 billion and take about four years to complete, with construction scheduled to begin in January 2025.

Maryland bridge safety and oversight

Last week, the NTSB said the Maryland Department of Transportation missed a critical Key Bridge vulnerability assessment before the collapse. Moore, diverting the blame from the MDTA, said no bridge in the county could have withstood an impact from a ship the size of the Dali.

He reiterated his stance to WJZ in the interview.

"Secretary Buttigieg told me, when this tragedy first happened, there is not a bridge in this country that could have taken that kind of impact," Moore said.

Moore added that a vulnerability assessment is now being done on the Bay Bridge, and is being considered in the new Key Bridge Design. He also said he authorized an additional $160 million for protection and safety on the Bay Bridge, and that the state is cooperating with the NTSB to get the required assessments done. 

"Making sure we have all the proper security, making sure that people are safe on our roads and our bridges and our tunnels, is of the highest priority. But I also know, and the NTSB also, you know, what allowed the Key Bridge to collapse was not something that had to do with the Key Bridge."

Supporting the families of the Key Bridge collapse victims

Moore said he intends to stand by the families of the Key Bridge collapse victims, after the tragedy which changed their lives.

"We actually took a lot of the family members out because it was the first Father's Day that they had without their father or their brother or their uncle and or their sons, in some cases, and we actually took them out to the site to lay wreaths, lay flowers and to say goodbye," Moore said.

Moore said he wants the families of the collapse victims to know that they are supported. 

"I think that they need to know that the city and the state and this country will continue to stand by them in all ways," Moore said.