BALTIMORE — The main shipping channel to the Port of Baltimore has fully reopened to its original depth and width following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, which blocked most marine traffic to the port.
Officials announced the full reopening in a press release Monday night. This comes after a massive cleanup effort when crews removed about 50,000 tons of steel and concrete from the Patapsco River.
The canal was blocked by the debris of the fallen bridge, which collapsed after a container ship lost power and collided with one of its support columns, sending six members of a roadworks crew plunging to their deaths. All of the victims were Latino immigrants who worked at night to fill holes in the bridge.
The Port of Baltimore, which processes more cars and agricultural equipment than any other in the country, was effectively closed for several weeks while the wreckage was removed. Crews were able to reopen parts of the deep-draft canal in phases, restoring some commercial traffic in recent weeks.
On May 20, the rebel cargo ship Dali was refloated and guided back to port. The ship was trapped among the wreckage for almost two months, with a huge steel truss hanging from the damaged bow.
After the Dali was moved, crews dug a channel 50 feet deep and 400 feet wide. The entire federal shipping channel is 700 feet (213 meters) wide, meaning two-way traffic can resume, officials said. They said other additional security requirements were also suspended due to the increased width.
Thousands of dockworkers, truck drivers and small business owners saw their jobs affected by the collapse, prompting local and state authorities to prioritize reopening the port and restoring its traffic to normal capacity in hopes of alleviating the effects. cascading economies.
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Monday’s announcement means commerce that relies on the busy port could start to grow again.
Authorities said a total of 56 federal, state and local agencies participated in the salvage operations, including about 500 experts from around the world who operated a fleet of 18 barges, 22 tugboats, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators and four boats. search.
“I cannot overstate how proud I am of our team,” said Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore district commander of the Army Corps of Engineers. “It was incredible to see so many people from different parts of our government, from across our country and around the world, come together as Unified Command and accomplish so much in this period of time.”
In a statement released on Monday, Pinchasin also acknowledged the loss of the victims’ families.
“Not a day went by that we didn’t think about them all, and that kept us going,” she said.
The Dali lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore for Sri Lanka in the early hours of March 26. A National Transportation Safety Board investigation found that he suffered power outages before beginning the trip, but the exact causes of the electrical problems have not yet been determined. The FBI is also conducting a criminal investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse.
Officials said they hope to rebuild the bridge by 2028.
This story originally appeared on Time.com read the full story
