Joe Biden 'Vows To Not Rest Until The Cement Has Dried' On New Baltimore Bridge

President Joe Biden has made a vow to the city of Baltimore following the Francis Scott Key Bridge tragedy, which left six dead.

On the morning of March 26, 2024, a cargo ship crashed into the bridge shortly after it left the Port of Baltimore. Following the tragedy, the city of Baltimore and the White House are planning to rebuild the bridge, but it's going to take some time.

In a recent press conference, the President of the United States addressed how important the bridge from Delaware to Washington, D.C. is for commuters.

"Every day, over 30,000 vehicles traveled across this bridge, and I was one of those people," he said. "I commuted every day from Delaware for 36 years to Washington, D.C., back and forth, and about one-fourth of that time by automobile. I’ve been to every part of this port."

"Folks, we now face a question no American should ever have to ask: How will I get to work? How will I go to school? How will I get to a hospital?' he continued.

Adding, "A response — in response, everyone, including Congress, should be asking only one question, and they’re going to be asked the question by your delegation: How can we help? How can we solve that problem?"

"The damage is devastating, and our hearts are still breaking," Biden said at the press conference. "Eight, eight construction workers were under the water when the bridge fell. Six lost their lives," he continued. "Most were immigrants, but all were Marylanders."

Officials have previously confirmed that a total of eight people were working on the bridge at the time of the crash. Two of them were rescued from the water, one of whom was unhurt. The other was treated at the University of Maryland Medical Center and released.

The men were originally from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, per CBS.

"After pulling a night shift fixing potholes, they were on a break when the ship struck," Biden stated. "Just seconds before [the tragedy], one of the men, named Carlos, who was only 24, left a message for his girlfriend. Here's what it said: 'We just poured cement, we're waiting for it to dry,' he said."

While acknowledging "it's not the same," Biden shared that he knows "a little bit about what it’s like to lose a piece of your soul — to get that phone call in the middle of the night to say family members are gone. I’ve been there."

Adding, "It’s feeling like having a black hole in your chest, like you’re being sucked in, unable to breathe. The anger, the pain, the depth of the loss is so profound."

The President of the United States went on to say, "And we know it’s hard to believe, and you’re probably not going to believe me, but I can tell you now from personal experience: The day is going to come when the memory of your loved one, as you walk by that park or the church or something that you shared together, it’s going to bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye."

He then made a promise, "It’s going to happen. It’s going to take a while, but I promise you, it will happen."

"Also never forget the contributions these men made to this city. We're going to keep working hard to recover each of them," the President continued before vowing, "We will not rest, as Carlos said, until the cement has dried and the entirety of a new bridge, a new bridge, [is complete]."

According to BBC, officials hope to "open a limited access channel 280ft (80m) wide and 35ft (10m) deep" by the end of April "to allow one-way traffic for barge containers and some other vessels that carry cars and equipment."

President Biden says the rebuild is "going to take time."

"Folks, this is going to take time, but Governor Moore, Senator Cardin, Senator Van Hollen, Congressman Mfume, Mayor Scott, County Executive Johnny O., and others are going to rebuild this bridge as rapidly as possible," Biden told the crowd, "And, folks, we’re determined to come back even stronger."

Joe Biden said they approved $60 million in emergency federal funding.