BALTIMORE — Commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore is expected to return to normal levels next month, officials said Wednesday, after the channel fully reopened this week for the first time since the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in March.
“I’ve been waiting to say this for every day for the last 11 weeks: Maryland, the Fort McHenry Channel is fully cleared, and the Port of Baltimore is reopened for business,” Gov. Wes Moore said at a waterside news conference to highlight the milestone.
As the governor spoke, a passing ship blasted its horn.
“You hear that?” Moore said. “That’s a beautiful sound.”
Behind him, giant cranes lifted shipping containers from the deck of a docked cargo ship and deposited them on land.
Many shipping companies rerouted their cargo to other ports following the deadly collapse in March. The deadly disaster halted most maritime traffic through Baltimore’s busy port as crews worked around the clock to clear an estimated 50,000 tons of fallen steel and concrete from the Patapsco River.
The estimated cost for the entire salvage operation is $160 million, with federal, state and local agencies involved.
Companies that steered clear of Baltimore during the cleanup will likely come back now that the channel has been returned to its original depth and width, officials said. The port, which processes more cars and farm equipment than any other in the country, is…
