- Officials say commercial vessel traffic through the Port of Baltimore should soon return to normal levels after the waterway fully reopened earlier this week for the first time since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
- Officials estimate that salvaging the bridge could cost up to $75 million and rebuilding it could cost nearly $2 billion.
- The exact cause of the electrical problem that caused the cargo ship Dali to lose power and crash into the bridge is still unknown.
Officials expect commercial ship traffic through the Port of Baltimore to soon return to normal levels after the channel fully reopened earlier this week for the first time since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse.
“The port is back in business and ready to receive the largest container ships calling at the port,” U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Shannon Gilreath said during an online press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The bridge collapse in March prompted some shipping companies to reroute cargo to other ports. The disaster halted most marine traffic through Baltimore’s busy port and workers worked around the clock to remove an estimated 50,000 tons of fallen steel and concrete from the Patapsco River, an effort that involved federal, state and local governments and cost roughly $100 million, officials said.
Coast Guard investigating whether other bridges are at risk after Baltimore bridge disaster
Officials say businesses that avoided Baltimore during the cleanup are likely to return now that the waterway has returned to its original depth and width. Baltimore’s port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other in the country.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said all rerouted commercial traffic “belongs to Baltimore today.” “There’s every indication that that’s happening, but we’ll continue to build on that expectation as we speak with our supply chain stakeholders.”
Workers have gradually reopened parts of the deep-draft waterway and some commercial traffic has been restored in recent weeks, with officials saying some cruise ships and large container ships have already passed through.
Rescue crews continue to work to remove debris after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed over the Patapsco River in Baltimore, Maryland, June 11, 2024. The Fort McHenry Federal Waterway in Baltimore has fully reopened to ship traffic, months after the freighter Dali struck the bridge and caused it to collapse. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
But the collapse and its economic ripple effects that stretch far beyond the Baltimore area have affected the jobs of thousands of longshoremen, truck drivers and small business owners.
Officials estimate the salvage operation could cost up to $75 million, and the Coast Guard response has cost $24 million so far.
Rebuilding the bridge could cost about $2 billion, officials said, and they hope to have it finished by 2028.
The Biden administration approved $60 million in immediate federal aid, which Buttigieg called a “down payment on the work ahead,” and White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Killian said all of the aid has been committed.
President Joe Biden has pledged that the federal government will fully cover the cost of rebuilding the bridge, but officials said funding is still awaiting approval from Congress.
In a statement on Tuesday, Biden praised the work of everyone involved in the recovery effort so far.
“Baltimore trusts us to support them every step of the way, and we will continue to support you until the bridge is rebuilt,” he said.
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The cargo ship Dali struck a key support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in the early hours of March 26, causing the pier to collapse and killing six road construction workers. The ship lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore en route to Sri Lanka. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board determined that there was a power outage before the voyage began, but the exact cause of the electrical problems has not yet been determined. The FBI is also conducting a criminal investigation into the circumstances leading up to the collapse.
The Dali remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly two months, with huge steel trusses hanging from its damaged bow. On May 20, the ship was refloated and returned to port, allowing authorities to open a channel 50 feet deep and 400 feet wide, wide enough for most large commercial ships to pass through.
The federal sea channel has a total width of 700 feet. Officials said the reopening of the channel allows traffic to resume in both directions, and that additional safety requirements have been lifted because the channel is now wider.
