SO totally agree. Why are the US taxpayers always on the hook??? Not one leader has said if the owners of the cargo ship are culpable…. Not one.

Good leaders do not shoot their mouths off and make such statements before the experts complete their investigation.

The owners of the ship likely had no idea where the ship was at the time and certainly were not in control of the engines or the steering. Culpability should require some evidence that they were somehow involved beyond simple financing the ship. Depending on the terms of the lease agreement, they might not even be financially responsible. THAT is why a good leader would wait for the results of the investigation before laying blame.

Once it has been rebuilt, I doubt they will go back to status quo since one damaged pier on a truss bridge can bring it all down.

The only options I can think of is either build barriers to protect the piers or use tugs.

From an article posted today.
Could Key Bridge crash have been avoided if Dali had tugboat guides? - The Baltimore Banner

Another half hour paying for tugs would have been much less expensive than crashing the ship into a bridge pier.

It will be rebuilt in the same way that the Sunshine skyway bridge was built after it was hit by a ship here in Florida.

Pilots
 

I wonder if the pilots,from the port were too hesitant to deploy the anchors?

Regardless, the bridge brings in hefty revenue with its toll charges, so it should be rebuilt soon enough. Maryland makes good money off the bridge, if only they spent that money on maintenance,

I'm posting out of the same ignorance as everyone else, offering another "maybe this is what's happening" perception:

Maybe...
the Fed will make immediate funds available for immediate reconstruction of the bridge.

AND the Fed will be doing the investigation to see who is actually legally responsible for refunding the Fed that money.

BECAUSE investigating it first, then going after insurance companies, and courts, and appeals, and so on and so forth means delays in getting it rebuilt.

BUT they want it rebuilt ASAP, and want to cut through all that red tape. They expect to be recompensated, but the funding has to be made immediately available, FIRST.

That's my thoughts on the whys and wherefores.

BS.

I have no knowledge of issues like the bridge collapse, however a question for those that have some experience in something like this. I assume the ship is now secured in place. It seems, again with no real knowledge of things like this, but it would seem teams could come in and fish out the broken bridge and open up the ship channel allowing ship traffic to resume rather quickly, maybe even in a few weeks? Rebuilding is another issue, but then again red tape may be an issue, any thoughts?

Somewhat agree. They may be able to open the shipping lanes, it they are able to move rapidly. However, if the ships need trucks to either move the cargo on elsewhere, or to load up the ships, then losing a major interstate highway might add a substantial load to the existing highways.

Sorry but a good point was made here.

Having a tug could likely have prevented this problem or at least have limited the damage. It might not stop a container ship but could likely have deflected it enough.

Make the container companies pay for the cost for escort beyond infrastructure or have them ready around infrastructure.

We can not assess the viabilty of every ship coming into this country as most are registered to countries with no responsibility.

Good point.
How the Skyway Bridge was rebuilt after the deadly 1980 collapse | wtsp.com
I suspect that the total economic cost of this bridge collapse is many magnitudes higher than than that of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge. There no doubt will be major changes in construction and policies.
barrons.com.
The port will reopen much sooner than when the bridge has been placed back in service.
The economic costs of the Key Bridge collapse - Oxford Economics

Cost and Time
 

If the bridge is rebuilt it could cost up to 350 million dollars.

Your browser is not supported | usatoday.com

First you will have those that will want to redesign the whole thing etc. Everyone will have a better idea. Then the politicians will take their pokes at it which can be a very scary thing financially. Finally, engineers and contractors will get together for the boots on the ground rebuild. Does anyone really see this getting done in less than 4 years time? The new, improved, more costly bridge is gonna take a while.

What type of redesign do you think? Can they change it to something other than a truss bridge? They'll probably go the quickest route.

Cantilever? Or new pile design which should have been done before the accident? The ships of today need to be taken into account. We don’t want repetition of the accident.

I agree that the most time-consuming part may be the politics. But it doesn't have to be. I recall the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis. There was a lot of pressure applied by the companies and people whose livelihoods depended on that bridge: there were other routes but like is most likely the case in Baltimore those "other routes" were lengthier and far more time-consuming. To their credit the powers-that-be in Minnesota shelved the politics in large part, got the design approved and contractors contracted, and the new bridge was completed in 14 1/2 months: date of collapse August 1, 2007, date of completion September 18, 2007--three months ahead of schedule and at $234 million, under budget.

Granted, not quite the same scenario or bridge, but it DOES show what can be accomplished if politics and profiteering are, as much as possible anyway, avoided.