Baltimore Port’s main channel reopens 11 weeks after bridge collapse
The major shipping channel into the Harbor of Baltimore has fully returned to its normal depth and width following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26.
Federal agencies said Monday that they have restored full access for commercial maritime transportation through the Port of Baltimore after removing 50,000 tons of debris generated by the March 26 collapse of the Key Bridge.
The cargo ship Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore in March, killing six people and blocking a major transportation route in the U.S. Northeast. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said a survey conducted Monday found the riverbed safe for transportation and said the Fort McHenry Federal Channel had been restored to its original operating dimensions, widened to 700 feet and 50 feet deep.
A fully operational channel will allow for two-way traffic and eliminate additional security requirements that were temporarily necessary due to the reduced channel width.
Salvage and diving supervisors from the U.S. Army Corps and the U.S. Navy worked to remove the debris of the Key Bridge for more than two months before the last piece was removed last week. The cast was safely removed on May 20.
More than 1,500 individual responders and 500 specialists from around the world operated a fleet of boats during the operation, involving 56 federal, state, and local agencies.
Surveying and removal of steel at and below the 50-foot mud-line will continue to ensure there is no impact on future dredging operations, and debris will continue to be transported to Sparrows Point for follow-up processing.
In April, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the crash. Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board said the Dali had lost power several times before it hit the bridge, including experiencing blackouts while undergoing maintenance at the port and a power outage shortly before the crash. Maryland estimates that rebuilding the bridge will cost $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion and hopes to complete it by the fall of 2028.
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