Deepest Key Bridge Channel Since Collapse Opens, Full Shipping Lane Returning Soon

BALTIMORE, MD — The deepest channel yet around the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse site opened on Tuesday. The full channel is still expected to reopen by the end of the month.

The latest channel is more than twice as deep as the previous biggest passage. This will let larger cargo vessels and cruises re-enter the Port of Baltimore, which has been mostly blocked since the March 26 bridge collapse killed six road workers and claimed the jobs of more than 1,000 port-related employees.

This shipping lane was possible thanks to Monday's demolition of the debris still lying atop the Dali, the nearly 1,000-foot ship that lost power and struck the Key Bridge. The bridge span draped over the Dali measured about 500 feet long and weighed up to 600 tons, the Associated Press reported. Crews used controlled explosions to precisely cut the wreckage, making it easier for cranes and barges to clean up without damaging the ship any further.

The latest channel will be 48 feet deep and 350 feet wide. It will have a vertical clearance of 214 feet because of the pre-existing power lines in the Patapsco River. The depth and width of the channel could increase as the salvage operations continue.

The 20-, 14- and 11-foot channels also remain open for smaller vessels.

The permanent federal navigation channel will be 700 feet wide and 50 feet deep.

Read all of Patch's Key Bridge collapse coverage here.

Until the full channel returns, the Fort McHenry Limited Access Channel will be open daily from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. at the discretion of the captain of the Port of Baltimore.

Deep-draft vessels using the channel must have a Maryland State Pilot, a local navigator required to take control of ships transiting through the Port of Baltimore. Two escort tugboats must also accompany ships using the temporary channel.

Ships must sit at least 3 feet above the bottom of the Patapsco River.

Vessels must have a width of 106 feet or less unless they are a cruise ship, a roll-on/roll-off ship or a combination roll-on/roll-off and container ship.

Passage will only be allowed when winds are less than 15 knots or 17 mph.

Pilots must navigate as slowly as possible, but the speed limit is 5 knots or 6 mph before the Dali is refloated and 10 knots or 12 mph after the refloating.

Related:

• Cargo Ship Had Multiple Blackouts Before Striking Key Bridge: NTSB
• Key Bridge Detonation: See Photos, Video As Explosives Free Dali Ship
• Last Key Bridge Victim's Body Found In Baltimore Wreckage: Officials
• Dali 'Unseaworthy' Baltimore Says Of Ship Owner In Key Bridge Crash
• 'You're Alive': Baker Among Last Drivers On Key Bridge Before Collapse
• Biden Views Key Bridge Collapse: 'Your Nation Has Your Back'
• Jobs In Limbo, Supply Chain Resilient After Baltimore Bridge Collapse
• 'I Didn't Think It Was Real': Residents React To Key Bridge Collapse