Baltimore officials open third temporary channel around collapsed Key Bridge

Michelle Del Rey
·2 min read
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A third temporary channel has been opened in the Port of Baltimore to help move the flow of traffic around the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Unified Command, which is made up of the US Coast Guard and Army Corps of Engineers, in addition to state agencies, announced the update in a news release on Friday.

The channel, located on the northeast side of the bridge, has a depth of 20 feet, a horizontal clearance of 300 feet and a vertical clearance of 135 feet. Previously, authorities have been able to open two other temporary channels, including another on the northeast side and one on the southwest side.

The northeast channel has a depth of 11 feet, 264-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 95 feet. The southwest channel has a depth of 15 feet, a 280-foot horizontal clearance and a vertical clearance of 124 feet.

None of the channels opened so far are big enough to move the Dali, a ship that crashed into the bridge last month, resulting in its partial collapse. Still, the channel is expected to increase traffic by 15 per cent, US Coast Guard Captain David O’Connell said.

Salvage work continues on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on Monday, 15 April 2024, in Baltimore. The FBI confirmed that agents were aboard the Dali conducting court-authorised law enforcement activity. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) (AP)
Salvage work continues on the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge on Monday, 15 April 2024, in Baltimore. The FBI confirmed that agents were aboard the Dali conducting court-authorised law enforcement activity. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson) (AP)

Authorities have released plans to open a fourth permanent channel at the end of May that would allow officials to remove the vessel from the area and completely restore traffic to the Fort McHenry Channel.

“Every day, members of the Key Bridge Response Unified Command are working tirelessly to complete the steps necessary to support full access to the Fort McHenry Channel”, O’Connell said. “The opening of this third channel represents continuous progress towards this overarching objective”.

The port provides 8,000 jobs to residents of the surrounding areas and takes in the largest import of automobiles in the country. As officials continue working to restore the port’s capacity, companies have been rerouting shipments using other channels on the East Coast.

The bridge collapsed on 26 March after it was struck by the ship. The incident resulted in the deaths of six construction workers, who were sent into the Patapsco River, and brought all commercial traffic coming into the port to an immediate stop.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the tragedy. The US approved $60m in emergency funds to support the salvage mission last month.