Engineers clearing collapsed Baltimore bridge say limited-access channel to port to open in 4 weeks
Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore say they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the port by the end of this month
BALTIMORE — Engineers working to clear the wreckage of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore said Thursday that they expect to be able to restore navigation in and out of the Port of Baltimore by the end of this month.
The bridge collapsed within seconds on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The ship issued a mayday alert with just enough time for police to stop traffic, but not enough to save a roadwork crew filling potholes on the bridge. Authorities believe six workers plunged to their deaths in the Patapsco River; two bodies have been recovered so far. Two others survived.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announced a “tentative timeline” Thursday, saying in a news release that it expects to open a limited access channel to the port within the next four weeks measuring some 280 feet wide by 35 feet deep (85 meters by 11 meters). The channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the port for barge container service and some vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port.
The USACE said it is aiming to reopen the permanent, 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep (213 meter by 15 meter) federal navigation channel by the end of May, which would restore port access to normal capacity.
“A fully opened federal channel remains our primary goal, and we will carry out this work with care and precision, with safety as our chief priority," Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, USACE commanding general said in the news release.
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