A temporary emergency canal has been opened at the Port of Baltimore to help with clean-up efforts after the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, Sky News reports.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore said the temporary channel, located northeast of the collapsed bridge, “will help let more vessels into the water near the collapse site.” He said rescue teams are working to open a second temporary channel.
The structure collapsed into the water last Tuesday after colliding with the 300-metre (985ft) Dali cargo ship, which lost power. The cargo ship, operated by Synergy Marine Group, was travelling from Baltimore to Sri Lanka at the time of the wreck. It is owned by Grace Ocean Private Ltd and was chartered by Danish shipping giant Maersk.
City officials have said the temporary channel will only be open for vessels assisting in cleanup efforts, but a phased approach to resuming commercial traffic to and from the Port of Baltimore is being worked on.
The White House announced that Joe Biden will visit the city on Friday. White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the US president would meet with state and local leaders, including Mr. Moore, and tour the area of the devastation.
Since the collapse of the bridge into the Patapsco River, concerns have arisen about the impact on the city’s economy of the continued blockage of shipping traffic to and from the city’s main ports.
Rail company CSX said it will begin new freight rail service between Baltimore and New York for its customers on Tuesday to circumvent the closure of the Port of Baltimore, CNBC reported on Monday.
Six road workers working on the bridge at the time of the collapse are presumed dead. Two bodies have been recovered. The search for the remaining four, who are presumed dead, has been suspended due to difficulties with the bridge debris.
Meanwhile, Maryland Transportation Secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said his agency is already planning to rebuild the bridge and is “looking at innovative design, engineering and construction methods so we can get this project done quickly.”
The White House has committed $60 million (£48 million) in emergency aid and Mr Biden said the federal government would pay the full cost of rebuilding the road bridge, which was built in 1977 and carries 30,000 vehicles a day.
Rating agency Morningstar DBRS forecasts that total insured losses from the Baltimore disaster could be between $2bn (£1.6bn) and $4bn (£3.2bn).
