At Key Bridge, Biden Reassures

"I'm here to say your nation has your back," President Biden told the people of Maryland on Friday after seeing the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge. "The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking." He promised federal aid in repairing the structure, which crumbled when hit by a cargo ship on March 26, as well as the damage to the region's commerce and jobs, the New York Times reports. "The federal government will cover the cost of building this entire bridge. All of it," Biden said after seeing the site from his helicopter. Developments on Friday included:

• Visits with families, first responders: Biden told the families of the six construction workers killed in the collapse, "I've come here to grieve with you—we all are." He added that, "I'll also never forget the contributions these men made to this city." Biden also met with police officers who helped stop traffic to the bridge just before the ship hit it, per the AP.
• An operational briefing: Brigadier Gen. John Lloyd of the Army Corps of Engineers updated Biden on the progress. "You gave us the priority to open the federal channel again and get the Port of Baltimore operational—what I can tell you, sir, is I am extremely confident we are going to make that happen," Lloyd told the president, per CNN. "And why do I say that? Two reasons—first, the mobilization of people, and the equipment." Lloyd said a 5,000-ton piece of the bridge sitting on the ship has to be removed before the vessel can be moved.
• Specific promises: Two small channels are open, Biden said, and he wants a third channel for commercial traffic, including car carriers, to be open by the end of April. "By the end of May, we'll open the full channel," he said. The president said the bridge will be rebuilt "as rapidly as humanly possible," per the Washington Post, adding, "We will do so with union labor and American steel."

(More Baltimore bridge collapse stories.)