A temporary channel to open next to Key Bridge for commercial boats, Baltimore port leader says – WTOP News

The captain of the Port of Baltimore says it is working to open a temporary alternate channel for commercially essential vessels near the northeast side of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge.

In an updated statement Sunday evening from the Key Bridge Response team and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott, officials said that the temporary channel marked the continued phased approach to opening the main channel after the bridge was struck, collapsing and killing six construction workers.

Since the main channel has been blocked since the collapse, vessel traffic to and from all of the port’s terminals has stopped.

The temporary channel would include government-lighted buoys to navigation, officials said in a statement. It will also have “a controlling depth of 11 feet, a 264-foot horizontal clearance and vertical clearance 96 feet.”

“This will mark an important first step along the road to reopening the port of Baltimore. By opening this alternate route, we will support the flow of marine traffic into Baltimore,” Capt. David O’Connell said.

As of Sunday evening, a 2,000-yard safety zone around the Key Bridge wreckage remains in effect “to protect personnel, vessels and the marine environment.” No boats are allowed to enter the safety zone without permission.

Statements did not explicitly state when the temporary channel would be operational.

Response officials said seafarers should remain aware of updates through the “Broadcast Notice to Mariners (BNM) via VHF-FM marine channel 16.”

Anyone in the public who encounters debris from the Key Bridge collapse is encouraged to call the Debris Reporting Hotline at (410) 205-6625.

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