Federal agencies announced on Monday that the Port of Baltimore has resumed full commercial maritime traffic after clearing 50,000 tons of debris left from the bridge collapse on March 26.
In March, the cargo ship Dali collided with the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, resulting in six fatalities and paralyzing a vital traffic artery in the northeastern United States. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stated that Monday's inspection confirmed the riverbed is now safe for navigation, and the federal McHenry Channel has been restored to its original operational standards of 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep.
The fully restored channel will allow for two-way traffic and remove the additional safety requirements that were imposed due to the temporary narrowing of the channel width.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and U.S. Navy diving and salvage supervisors spent two months clearing the debris from the Key Bridge, with the last piece removed last week. The Dali was safely relocated on May 20.
In this operation, over 1,500 individual emergency responders and 500 experts from around the world operated a fleet involving 56 federal, state, and local agencies.
To ensure future dredging operations remain unaffected, measurements and clearing of steel above and below the 50-foot silt line will continue, and the debris will be transported to Sparrows Point for further processing.
In April, the FBI launched a criminal investigation into the collapse. The National Transportation Safety Board stated last month that the Dali had experienced multiple power outages before striking the bridge, including an outage during maintenance in the port and just before the collision. Maryland estimates the cost to rebuild the bridge will be between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion, with completion expected in the fall of 2028.
