The U.S.
Coast Guard leading the Unified Command and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
are focusing on the opening of temporary alternative channels as they respond
to the bridge collapse in Baltimore
The
first of the three channels was opened during the day on Monday on the north
side. Teams from the command were seen yesterday, March 31, placing the first
buoys in the water around the debris from the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
Officials noted that the opening of the channel today, April 1, is in place for
smaller, essential vessels.
The
first temporary channel, however, will just have the vessels that will be able
to use it with a depth of 11 feet only. Naturally with this depth of 11 feet,
only limited approval might be given to commercial vessels such as tugs or
barges. The first commercial vessel through the channel was a fuel barge used
to supply jet fuel to the Department of Defense and was transiting to
Dover Air Force Base.
“This will mark an important first
step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” said Capt. David
O’Connell, Federal On-Scene Coordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024. “By opening
this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into
Baltimore.” Within a
few days, they also expect to add a second channel Captain O’Connell described
during an interview with CBS News…
As the
work progresses, they said they would first position assets for repositioning
and then refloating the Dali.