President Joe Biden will visit Baltimore on Friday to survey damage from last week's collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said at a briefing on Monday.

The president told reporters last Friday that he would visit the bridge this week, but did not specify a date. Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden will "meet with state and local officials and get on the ground look at federal response efforts."

"The president is continuing to lead a whole-of-government approach to the collapse," she said, emphasizing that Biden administration is working with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, the state's congressional delegation "and numerous state and local officials to reopen the port, rebuild the bridge and support the people of Baltimore."

Biden has said that the federal government should pay the cost of repairing the bridge, a major artery for the city, and stressed the importance of reopening the Port of Baltimore, a crucial shipping terminal.

Last week, the Biden administration announced $60 million in “quick release” emergency relief funds for Maryland’s Department of Transportation as a “down payment toward initial costs” for emergency repairs, design and reconstruction of the bridge.

In remarks from the White House last week after the collapse, Biden vowed to the people of Baltimore that the federal government will support them "for as long as it takes," pledging that he will visit the city "as quickly as I can."

The president said it was his "intention that the federal government will pay for the entire cost of reconstructing that bridge," and that it's his expectation that Congress will "support that effort." When asked by a reporter if the company who owns the ship should bear the cost of rebuilding the bridge, Biden replied, "We're not going to wait. We're going to pay for it to get the bridge rebuilt and open."

Biden said he told Gov. Moore and other city and county officials that "we're going to spend all the federal resources they need as we respond to this emergency — I mean, all the federal resources — and we're going to rebuild that port together."  

The Army Corps of Engineers will lead the effort to clear the channel so the Port of Baltimore can resume operations, the president said last week.

"The Port of Baltimore is one of the nation's largest shipping hubs," the president said, adding, "It handles a record amount of cargo last year. It's also [one of] the top ports in America, both imports and exports of automobiles and light trucks, around 850,000 vehicles go through that port every single year. And we're going to get it up and running again as soon as possible. Fifteen thousand jobs depend on that port, and we're gonna do everything we can to protect those jobs and help those workers."

Last year, the Port of Baltimore handled a record 52.3 million tons of foreign cargo worth $80 billion, according to the state. In addition to cargo, more than than 444,000 passengers cruised out of the port in 2023.

Spectrum News' Maddie Gannon and The Associated Press contributed to this report.