A temporary channel will be opened to allow some commercial vessels to resume operations in and out of the Baltimore port, while efforts to clean up the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge continue, authorities announced on Sunday night.
The fallen Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore where divers assisted crews with the complicated ... [+]
A statement issued by Unified Command—a group of federal and state agencies overseeing the response to the bridge collapse—said the captain of the port is setting up “a temporary alternate channel on the northeast side of the main channel…for commercially essential vessels.”
Officials said the move was part of a “phased approach to opening the main channel” and the temporary route will be marked with navigational aids and have “a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance 96 feet.”
U.S. Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell, the federal response coordinator on-scene, said opening the alternate route will support “the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore,” but it is unclear which specific vessels will be allowed to use it.
The statement also does not mention a timeline for when the alternate route will be opened.
An existing 2,000-yard safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect, and no ships or people are allowed to enter this safety zone without authorization from the captain of the port.