Baltimore to partially reopen by end of April

The Port of Baltimore shipping channel will be partially reopened — to a depth of 35ft — by the end of April and will fully reopen by the end of May, the Maryland Port Administration said on Thursday.

The waterway has been blocked since the early morning hours of 26 March, when the containership Dali lost power and struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the bridge to collapse into the water. Large vessels used for coal exports and containers and vehicle imports have been unable to traverse the waterway since.

The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) now expects it can have a 280-foot wide, 35ft-deep channel — large enough for one-way barge container traffic and roll on/roll off car carriers — "within the next four weeks — by the of April," the port administration said.

A permanent, 700ft-wide, 50ft-deep navigation channel allowing normal port access is expected to open by the end of May.

"These are ambitious timelines that may still be impacted by significant adverse weather conditions or changes in the complexity of the wreckage," Corps Lt. General Scott Spellmon said.