President Biden on Wednesday celebrated that the Port of Baltimore is fully reopened after the Francis Scott Key Bridge was struck and collapsed in March.
“I made clear that my Administration would move heaven and earth to reopen the Port of Baltimore – one of our nation’s largest shipping hubs,” the president said in a statement. “Today, thanks to the tireless work by the men and women in the Unified Command, the full navigation channel is now open to all vessel traffic, allowing a full return of commerce to the Port of Baltimore.”
The president outlined that the U.S. Coast Guard arrived on the scene within minutes of the collapse, establishing Unified Command to support rescue operations and work with the Army Corps of Engineers to remove wreckage. He thanked the Small Business Administration, Departments of Transportation and Labor, and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D), as well as others, for their work to reopen the port.
“Our hearts remain with the families of the victims of the bridge collapse, and we will continue to stand with the community throughout this period of recovery. Thank you to the people of Baltimore for showing us what it means to be Maryland tough and Baltimore strong. Baltimore can count on us to stick with them every step of the way, and we will continue to have your back until the bridge is rebuilt,” Biden said.
The news of the full reopening comes after the shipping lane into the Port of Baltimore fully reopened on Monday evening, which allowed full capacity cargo traffic into the port for the first time since the collapse.
The full recovery also came faster than expected, in about three months instead of the anticipated six, for the port, which was the East Coast’s busiest for automobile shipments before the bridge collapse.
The Francis Scott Key Bridge, on Interstate 695, collapsed into the water after it was hit by cargo ship Dali, which was headed to Sri Lanka. Biden quickly vowed at the time that the federal government will foot the bill to rebuild the bridge, which was been met with backlash from conservative spending hawks.