The Port of Baltimore is expected to reopen as early as this weekend after being closed for 11 weeks following the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.

The 700-foot-wide channel is expected to open between Saturday and Monday. In March, a 213-million-pound shipping vessel, the Dali, experienced a power outage and crashed into the Key Bridge. 

Unified Command, the group of agencies that responded to the disaster, said the final blockage was cleared from the Patapsco River earlier this week. A limited 400-foot avenue was previously cleared out to allow some ships to go through the channel.

“We are not taking our foot off the gas,” said Col. Estee S. Pinchasin, USACE, Baltimore District commander. “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 crew said their work related to the bridge collapse will conclude by June 10.

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The Dali was stuck in the water, with the crew on board, for nearly two months before the ship was able to be removed from its entanglement with the bridge. The ship was removed on May 20, and cruise ships began utilizing the 400-foot channel on May 27.

The FBI, U.S. Coast Guard, and the National Transportation Safety Board are all investigating who will take responsibility for the tragedy. President Joe Biden has called on Congress to pay for a new bridge.