Third channel to be open at Baltimore port as recovery continues from bridge collapse

A third channel will open this month at Baltimore’s port after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse two weeks ago, and Maryland’s congressional delegation will sponsor legislation seeking federal aid to pay entirely for a new bridge, Sen. Ben Cardin said Tuesday.

Cardin gave the update after a meeting with the state’s congressional delegation and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in Washington.

“We now have two alternative channels that are open, we have a third channel that’ll be open this month that will deal with the majority of traffic into the port of Baltimore, and by the end of May we hope to have the entire channel reopened,” Cardin, a Democrat, said.

The bridge collapsed on March 26 after being struck by the cargo ship Dali, which lost power shortly after leaving Baltimore, bound for Sri Lanka. The wreckage has blocked the main shipping channel at Baltimore’s port for two weeks.

Cardin also said he will be leading an effort to introduce legislation that will clarify that 100% of federal funds will be used to pay for the bridge’s replacement, instead of 90%. Cardin noted that the federal government covered 100% of the cost of replacing the Interstate 35W bridge in Minnesota, which collapsed into the Mississippi River in 2007