Coast Guard, Army Corps of Engineers, and state agencies and law enforcement assess debris removal.
The U.S. Coast Guard announced that they cleared a temporary channel to the northeast of the collapsed Baltimore bridge to allow essential commercial vessels to continue accessing the city’s busy marine port. The 11 foot deep and 262 feet wide channel was used on Monday for smaller ships.
“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Captain David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator of the response. “By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore.”
Maryland Governor Wes Moore announced the opening of a second, slightly deeper channel on Tuesday. Two barges have already made their way through the second channel.
“I’m thankful that only after a week after the collapse, we have pathways and channels so commercial traffic can now move through,” Governor Moore said. “It’s a very complex operation, but movement is happening.”
The Port of Baltimore is one of the nation’s largest ports, and many financial losses are expected due to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge last week. Congress is looking to organize a loan program for small businesses reliant on the port, allowing them to maintain operations while trade is impacted.
President Biden is scheduled to visit the area on Friday.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For prudence for the Unified Command as they survey the collapse and strategize methods to remove debris.
- For the president and his transportation officials to be discerning in how to support recovery.
- For members of Congress as they prepare a loan program for small businesses impacted by the lack of access to the port.
Sources: VOA News, MSN
