Baltimore’s New Temporary Channel Now In Use After Bridge Collapse

The first vessel moved through a temporary channel along the Patapsco River, marking the first step in Baltimore's recovery from the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse last week. The tugboat Crystal Coast pushed a fuel barge through the new emergency passageway, which measures 264 feet wide and 11 feet deep, on its way to Dover Airbase.

“Today was an important milestone in the process of beginning to pull the wreckage out, beginning to open channels. We know we still have work to do,” Governor Wes Moore said on Monday.

The temporary channel can only be used during daylight hours and is marked with “government-lighted aids” for navigation.

A second 15-foot channel is expected to be built on the southwest side of the main channel, allowing deeper draft vessels access to the Port of Baltimore, with a third to be built after more cleanup.

Two crane barges, one that's 650 tons and another that's 330, are on the scene as workers clean up debris.

U.S. Coast Guard Captain David O'Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator for the Unified Response to the bridge collapse, told CBS News pre-existing debris along the south side of the channel also needs to be removed but things are moving in the right direction.

“I anticipate smaller draft commercial vessels, maybe some small tugs in the next few days,” O'Connell said. “That's that 13 to 14 foot draft, but that unfortunately, that's not a lot of vessels. But it certainly is a start on our way to phase three, which will hopefully get us to 20 to 25 foot draft and that would be a lot more commercial vessels.”

President Biden has promised federal funds to pay for a new bridge. Moore underscored the importance of getting a new bridge built quickly as Baltimore is a vital cog in the country's overall supply chain. “We need to make sure we're actually moving quickly to get the American economy going again, because the Port of Baltimore is instrumental in our larger economic growth.”