Pete Buttigieg: We Are Doing Everything that Can Be Done To Get This Bridge Back Up

GEIST: “Now U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Mr. Secretary, thanks for your time this morning. Obviously, this first and foremost is a human tragedy. There are six people whose families are mourning them today. From your point of view, though, also a transportation, a logistical and infrastructure disaster. How do you begin to get your arms around a place that was so vital to commerce in this country?”
Buttigieg: “Well, you’re right, first and foremost, our hearts go out to all of the families of the victims, and our thanks go out to all of the first responders who unquestionably saved lives in their response to this incident. Now we have to prepare for what’s next. That Key Bridge was a very important thoroughfare for vehicles and because the bridge is down and the ship is still there, that channel is closed, that is the main channel, really the only channel to get to the majority of the port facilities in Baltimore. It’s a top vehicle port, vehicle handling port in the U.S., that’s not just cars, by the way, that also includes a lot of farm equipment, which is a very important export for the American economy. There’s a small area that is outside of the bridge. It’s called Sparrow Point, there’s a facility called Tradepoint there. We’re already looking at how that could play a role in getting through this next period, but it is nothing like the capacity that is in the — the main part of the port itself. And thousands of workers, you know, if goods aren’t moving, they’re not getting paid. So we’re very concerned for them. And the bottom line is that we are doing everything that can be done so that we can get this bridge back up and get that port back open.”