MARYLAND, USA — Less than three months after the collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, the city's port has fully reopened.
On Wednesday, Maryland's governor, Wes Moore, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, and others marked the milestone, which puts the port of Baltimore back in business.
Gov. Moore and Secretary Buttigieg met with salvage workers at the port in Dundalk, before formally celebrating the reopening.
It comes less than three months after the March 26 collapse.
In that time, thousands of port workers, truckers, and businesses across the country, including some in south-central Pennsylvania, have felt the impacts of the port closure.
The economic ripple effects go far beyond Baltimore, as the port handles more cars and farm equipment than any other in the U.S.
Unified Command crews worked around the clock to remove over 50,000 tons of bridge wreckage from the Patapsco River.
Following the collapse, which tragically took the lives of six construction workers, crews were able to reopen portions of the Fort McHenry Federal Channel, allowing some commercial traffic to flow through.
This week's reopening puts it back in business completely.
"This team did the unimaginable," said Gov. Moore. "Instead of 11 months, we got this done in 11 weeks."
Meanwhile, officials estimate salvage operations will cost up to $75 million while the Coast Guard response needed to open the main channel has cost $24 million.
The total cost of rebuilding the Key Bridge is estimated to be close to $2 billion. Officials hope to have the bridge rebuilt by the fall of 2028.
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