The main route ships take into Baltimore’s port is now fully open again after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26. This blocked most ships from getting into the harbor.
Officials said Monday evening that the route is completely open again after a big cleanup effort. Crews took out about 50,000 tons of steel and concrete from the Patapsco River.
The bridge fell into the river when a container ship lost power and hit one of its supports. This caused six workers to fall to their deaths. All of the workers were Latino immigrants who were fixing potholes on the bridge during the night.
The Port of Baltimore, which deals with more cars and farm equipment than any other port in the country, had to close for a few weeks.
The collapsed bridge rests on the container ship (Via Jay Peralta/Shutterstock)
Crews started to open parts of the deep channel again in stages, so some commercial ships could get through in the past few weeks.
On May 20, the cargo ship Dali was freed and taken back to the port. The ship had been stuck with a big steel part on its front for almost two months.
After moving the Dali, crews opened a channel that’s 50 feet deep and 400 feet wide. Officials said the full federal shipping channel is 700 feet wide, so ships can go in both directions again. They also said fewer safety rules are needed because the channel is wider.
A lot of people who work at the port have lost work because of the bridge falling. Local and state officials have been working to open the port again and get back to normal. They hope this will help the local economy get better again.
