WASHINGTON – US President Joe Biden pledged that the federal government will pay the full cost of rebuilding the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, one of the United States’ busiest arteries, which collapsed on March 26 after being struck by a massive freight ship.

“It’s my intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge and I expect the Congress to support my effort,” Mr Biden said, speaking from the White House ahead of a trip to North Carolina.

A massive freight ship stacked high with containers smashed into a bridge while sailing out of Baltimore, Maryland, early on March 26, sending cars and people into the river below and closing one of the busiest ports on the US eastern seaboard.

Rescuers pulled out two survivors, one of whom was hospitalised, and were searching for more in the Patapsco River after huge metal spans of the 2.57km Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the icy water at around 1.30am (1.30pm Singapore time).

“I know every minute in that circumstance feels like a lifetime,” Mr Biden said to people who were still awaiting word on those missing after the collapse. The President said the search and rescue operation “is our top priority”.

The Francis Scott Key Bridge was a main thoroughfare for drivers between New York and Washington who sought to avoid downtown Baltimore. It was one of three ways to cross Baltimore Harbour, with a traffic volume of 31,000 cars a day, or 11.3 million vehicles a year.

Mr Biden, who called the crash a “terrible accident”, was asked why the federal government should pick up the tab if the ship and its operator were potentially to blame.

“That could be, but we’re not going to wait for that to happen. We’re going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and opened,” Mr Biden said.

Large-scale infrastructure projects are typically paid for by a combination of state and federal governments.

Mr Biden said he would go to Baltimore “as quickly as I can”, but did not give the exact timing. REUTERS