Salvage efforts in Baltimore bridge collapse delayed by weather

In a press conference on 3 April, the governor called the salvage work dangerous and complicated but said salvors had opened two temporary channels "focusing on supporting commercial [vessel] traffic".

"The opening of these two alternate channels and transit of critical response resources, as well as the first commercial traffic movements through the area, is a significant milestone in our response efforts,” USCG Commander Baxter Smoak, operations section chief of the Key Bridge Unified Command said. “Our number one priority remains the opening of the deep draft channel. We are simultaneously focused on opening additional routes of increased capacity as we move forward."
The initial temporary channel is limited for transit at the discretion of the Unified Command and during daylight hours only. The temporary channel has a controlling depth of 3.4 m, a 80.5-m horizontal clearance, and vertical clearance of 29.0 m. Unified Command said the second temporary channel allows for vessels with a slightly deeper draft, with a controlling depth of 4.3 m, a 85.3-m horizontal clearance, and a vertical clearance of 37.8 m. The current 2,000-metre safety zone around the Francis Scott Key Bridge remains in effect.

“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore,” Federal on-scene co-ordinator, Key Bridge Response 2024 Captain David O’Connell said. 

Two crane barges, a 650-tonne crane and a 330-tonne crane, are actively working on scene. Wreckage will continue to be lifted and transferred to a barge as daylight and weather allow, according to the Unified Command. A 230-tonne land-based crane will offload and process the wreckage, which will then be taken to a disposal site.

Further updates from the salvage operations revealed that no pollution has been detected from water quality sampling tests and that the Unified Command is utilising sound-imaging devices to create a three-dimensional map of the underwater landscape of the bridge collapse site.

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to travel to the scene of the salvage response operations on 5 April. 

"I’ve instructed my team to move heaven and earth to reopen the port and rebuild the bridge as soon as possible," the US President said. 

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