US Army Corps of Engineers plans to reopen Fort McHenry Channel to full Baltimore port access by end of May

The US Army Corps of Engineers Baltimore District announced Thursday it is aiming to reopen the Fort McHenry Channel by the end of May and restore access to the Port of Baltimore by then to “normal capacity.”

The announcement comes just over a week after a cargo ship that was leaving the port slammed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge, causing the structure to collapse into the channel and killing six construction workers.

In a news release, the Army Corps of Engineers said it plans to open a “limited access channel” to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April.

“This channel would support one-way traffic in and out of the Port of Baltimore for barge container service and some roll on/roll off vessels that move automobiles and farm equipment to and from the port,” the unit said.

“USACE engineers are aiming to reopen the permanent, 700-foot-wide by 50-foot-deep federal navigation channel by the end of May, restoring port access to normal capacity.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.