President Biden claimed that he traveled by rail over the now collapsed Francis Scott Key bridge “many, many times.” The president’s story faces one massive hurdle, however, as the bridge is vehicle only and does not have any train tracks.
“At about 1:30, a container ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which I’ve been over many, many times commuting from the state of Delaware either by train or by car,” Biden said during a press conference Tuesday. “I’ve been to Baltimore Harbor many times,” he added.
In a statement, a White House official claimed that the president was “clearly” referring to driving. “The President was clearly describing driving over the bridge while commuting between Delaware and D.C.” the White House official said in a statement to Fox News.
The key Northeast corridor bridge has never had railway lines and has been used exclusively for vehicle traffic since the 1970’s.
Early Tuesday morning, a cargo ship bound for Sri Lanka suffered a mechanical failure as it was leaving Boston Harbor. Unable to steer, the ship crashed into a pillar of the iconic Francis Scott Key bridge over the Patapsco River, not far from where Key was inspired to write the Star-Spangled Banner.
The catastrophic collision caused a massive section of the 1.6-mile-long bridge to collapse within seconds. Thankfully, the crew was able to send out a mayday warning in time, which allowed Baltimore Police to prevent cars from traveling over the bridge just in time.
Six people remain missing as a result of the collapse, all of whom are presumed dead. The missing crew members were part of a pothole repair team who were unable to clear the bridge in time. Two of the crew members were rescued alive while the other six remain missing.
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