Key Bridge collapse: Opening of federal channel delayed, set to open by June 10 at the latest
Crews working to restore the federal channel of debris from the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge need more time before shipping traffic can be fully restored.
The end of May had been the goal of state and federal officials, but a Friday news release says that work will conclude by June 10.
“We are not taking our foot off the gas,” Col. Estee S. Pinchasin, Baltimore District commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, said in the release. “We are pushing forward as quickly and safely as possible to reach 700 feet and ensuring we remove all wreckage to prevent any impact to future navigation.”
The Army Corps continues to clear wreckage from the riverbed to restore the federal channel to its original 700-foot width and 50-foot depth, the release said.
The remaining work involves digging out the bottom cord of the remaining truss of the collapsed structure and cutting it into three sections to lift and remove the wreckage, according to the release. Only about one-third of this truss is visible above the water as it stretches down to the riverbed and sits buried in Patapsco River mud.
Based on the latest dive surveys and engineer analyses conducted after Monday’s refloating the Dali, work to restore the federal channel is projected to conclude between June 8-10, the release said.
The adjusted timing accounts for the complexity of the cutting and rigging required to lift portions of the large span, according to the release.
“This effort is more complex than initially estimated,” Pinchasin said. “Salvage crews must dig out the bottom cord of this truss to access the areas needing to be cut.”
The revised timeline also accounts for safety measures and possible inclement weather, the release said. Thunderstorms are in the forecast through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
After Monday’s move of the Dali, a 400-foot-wide, 50-foot-deep channel into the Baltimore harbor opened Tuesday.
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The channel that opened Tuesday is the largest, and deepest, marine route into the Port of Baltimore to open since the Key Bridge collapsed in March, immediately cutting off maritime traffic into the port.
The Coast Guard said Tuesday that 24-hour commercial vessel traffic through the Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel had commenced. Deep-draft vessels, which must be accompanied by a Maryland pilot and two escort tugboats, have priority in the 50-foot-deep channel, though shallower commercial ships can use the three existing alternate channels.
Gilreath said Monday that about 500 commercial vessels have passed through temporary channels opened by Key Bridge Response Unified Command in the eight weeks since the March 26 collapse, which killed six construction workers.