After the Dali container ship crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge in late March and caused its collapse, crews have begun removing containers from the ship to access the roadway.
According to a statement from the Key Bridge Response 2024 Unified Command, “Removing containers allows for safe access to then remove the pieces of the Key Bridge that lie across the ship’s bow, taking weight off the ship and ultimately allowing for the movement of the ship,” per NBC News.
The group comprises Maryland state agencies and national agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Army Corps of engineers, all working with the aim of redeveloping the fallen bridge and reopening the Fort McHenry Channel.
Timeline for channel reopening after Baltimore bridge collapse
Politico reported the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers provided a timeline for the channel’s reopening slated for the end of May. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore said Sunday that the provided timeline is “realistic” and, in an interview with CBS’ “Face the Nation,” said, “It is an aggressive timeline but we are going to work around the clock to make sure we hit this timeline.”
First, crews will open a channel 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep as a one-way shipping channel. According to NBC News, the channel will become a federal navigation channel widened to 700 feet wide by 50 feet deep.
What we know about the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse
Six roadway workers were on the bridge when it collapsed. Three of the workers’ bodies were recovered and the other three have been presumed dead.
Moore said, “We are going to do everything in our power to make sure we are bringing closure and comfort to these families, to be able to reopen this channel, to be able to support our workers and support families who have been impacted by it, and begin the process of a rebuild of the bridge.”
The channel’s closure has effectively halted traffic, commercial and otherwise, through the channel and to the Port of Baltimore, a historically important shipping location for imported cars into the U.S., according to NBC News.
Last week, President Joe Biden visited the site of the bridge collapse and told the press, “My administration is committed, absolutely committed to ensuring that parties responsible for this tragedy pay to repair the damage and be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law will allow, but I also want to be clear: We will support Maryland and Baltimore every step of the way to help you rebuild and maintain all the business and commerce that’s here now,” per Politico.