A temporary channel for essential uses was under preparation Sunday night in the Baltimore Harbor, which was blocked by the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, officials said.
The Captain of the Port “is preparing to establish a temporary alternate channel” near the Key Bridge for “commercially essential vessels,” officials in charge of the bridge response said in a news release.
It was not clear exactly how the alternate channel was to be created, when it could be opened or what vessels would be classified as essential. No information was immediately available on whether weight and size limits would be imposed for use of the alternate route.
Also unclear was whether the channel could be used by any cargo ships docking at Baltimore, or whether it would be restricted to vessels involved in the effort to recover from the bridge collapse.
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Specifications given in the news release suggest that the alternate channel might not be deep enough for vessels other than barges or similar craft.
The collapse of the bridge after it was struck by a container ship closed the harbor and authorities said it has caused major problems for the economy of both the Baltimore region and for the rest of the United States.
Creation of an alternate channel “will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Coast Guard Capt. David O’Connell, the federal on-scene coordinator for response to the bridge collapse.
“By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore,” O’Connell said.
The alternate channel would “be marked with government lighted aids to navigation and will have a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance (of) 96 feet,” according to the statement issued by the joint information center for the Key Bridge response.
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The temporary alternate channel is to be northeast of the main channel and in the vicinity of the bridge, officials said.
The statement issued Sunday appeared to be the first since Tuesday’s collapse of the bridge into the Patapsco River that envisioned a bypass of the most heavily affected area.
Heretofore, authorities’ principal efforts at the site appeared involved with clearing the wreckage as well as searching for the remains of those workers still missing and presumed dead.
Authorities said preparing the alternate channel was “part of a phased approach to opening the main channel.”
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