A channel has opened for vessels clearing wreckage at the Baltimore bridge collapse site

livemint.com:

steel and concrete at the site of the bridge’s deadly collapse into the Patapsco River after a container ship lost power and crashed into a supporting column. On Sunday, dive teams surveyed parts of the bridge and checked the ship, and workers in lifts used torches to cut above-water parts of the twisted steel superstructure. Officials said the temporary channel is open only to vessels that are helping with the cleanup effort.

Authorities believe four workers plunged to their deaths in the collapse. Recovery of their bodies is a key part of the ongoing salvage operation. Officials earlier said the channel would have a controlling depth of 11 feet (over 3 meters), a horizontal clearance of 264 feet (80 meters) and a vertical clearance of 96 feet (29 meters).

A video released Sunday showed the Coast Guard dropping buoys in the water. “This marks an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore," Capt. David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator of the response, said in a statement Monday.

“By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore." President Joe Biden will visit the site Friday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced Monday afternoon. He will meet with state and local officials and get an “on-the-ground look" at federal response efforts, Jean-Pierre said. Also Monday, the Small Business Administration opened two centers in the area to help companies get loans to assist them with losses caused by the disruption of the bridge collapse.