The main shipping channel into the Port of Baltimore has reopened fully to traffic at its original depth and width after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, cutting off most marine traffic into the port.
Officials announced the full reopening in a news release Monday evening.
This comes after a massive cleanup operation in which workers removed an estimated 50,000 tons of steel and concrete from the Patapsco River.
The waterway was blocked by the remains of a bridge that collapsed after a container ship lost power and hit a bridge pillar.
Section of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge (Julia Nickinson/Associated Press)
Six road construction workers also fell and died in the accident.
All of the victims were Latino immigrants who had been working the night shift filling holes in the bridge.
The Port of Baltimore, which handles more cars and farm equipment than any other country, was effectively shut down for weeks while the wreckage was removed.
Workers have been able to gradually reopen parts of the deep-draft channel, and some commercial traffic has been restored in recent weeks.
On May 20, the drifting cargo ship Dali was refloated and returned to port.
The ship remained trapped in the wreckage for nearly two months, with huge steel trusses hanging from its damaged bow.
After the Dali was removed, workers opened a channel 50 feet (15 meters) deep and 400 feet (122 meters) wide.
Officials said the entire Federal Sea Channel is 700 feet (213 meters) wide and traffic in both directions can resume.
The increased width also allowed additional safety requirements to be relaxed.
The remains of the Francis Scott Key Bridge are loaded onto the container ship Dali as a crane continues to pull it free (Julia Nickinson/AP)
Thousands of dockworkers, truck drivers and small business owners have lost their jobs in the wake of the collapse, and local and state officials are prioritizing reopening ports and getting traffic back to normal in hopes of mitigating the economic ripple effects.
Monday's announcement means commerce that relies on the busy port could start to pick up again.
Officials said the salvage operation involved 56 federal, state and local agencies, including about 500 experts from around the world, operating a flotilla of 18 barges, 22 tugboats, 13 floating cranes, 10 excavators and four research vessels.
“Words cannot express how proud I am of our team,” said Col. Estee Pinchersin, commander of the Army Corps of Engineers, Baltimore District.
“It was incredible to see so many people from different parts of government, across the country and around the world come together at a unified command center and get so much done in such a short amount of time.”
In his statement on Monday, Pinchashin also confirmed the deaths of the victims' families.
“Not a day went by that we didn't think about all of them. That was our driving force,” she said.
The Dali lost power in the early hours of March 26th, shortly after departing Baltimore for Sri Lanka.
An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found that there was a power outage before the voyage began, but the exact cause of the electrical problem has not yet been determined.
The FBI is also conducting a criminal investigation into the circumstances that led to the collapse.
Officials say they hope to have the bridge rebuilt by 2028.
