David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The reopening of Baltimore’s main shipping channel this week – less than three months after the Key Bridge collapse – comes as a result of lessons learned from a COVID-era task force, the highway overpass collapse and the 2021 infrastructure law, government officials said. .
The fatal collision of the cargo ship Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 paralyzed the main transport artery of the northeastern United States.
Hours later, President Joe Biden directed aides to reopen the canal, rebuild the bridge and vowed the federal government would cover all costs. His administration previously faced criticism for its initial response to the 2023 Ohio train crash.
Federal officials said Monday that full access to the canal has been restored after removing 50,000 tons of debris. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and other officials are holding a press event Wednesday to celebrate its resumption.
After the collapse, the Coast Guard quickly created a Unified Command to coordinate search, recovery and response efforts. He oversaw more than 1,500 individual responders, involving 56 federal, state and local agencies and 500 specialists operating a fleet of boats to remove steel, concrete debris and ship traffic damage.
“I think one of the most important things we did was create unified command,” White House deputy chief of staff Natalie Quillian told Reuters.
“There was therefore clear command and control of a very complex operational task between federal, state government and private sector stakeholders.”
For example, the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), which oversees the federal navigation channel, was able to involve the head of the US Navy rescue service in conducting a large-scale operation.
“That’s the power of unified command,” said Col. Esty Pinchasin, commander of the USACE Baltimore District, which set an ambitious schedule for opening the canal by early April.
The council, created by Biden in 2021 to address COVID-related supply chain shortages, convened shortly after the bridge collapse, and federal agencies opened specialized offices to monitor supply chain problems.
“We developed these protocols in the first year of the pandemic,” said White House National Economic Council Director Lael Brainard. “This is a very intensive sprint that we immediately launch to troubleshoot and share information.”
Brainard also cited lessons learned from the June 2023 collapse of the Interstate 95 overpass in Philadelphia, which was quickly reopened.
“The collapse of I-95 was such a quick response that we felt like, ‘OK, we know what to do,’” he said.
Brainard and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called for businesses, labor and port operators to have “the same information to help them quickly develop workarounds.”
Both cited the $1 trillion infrastructure bill, which sharply increased spending on bridges and other projects, as giving the administration the know-how and “muscle memory” to tackle big challenges.
Buttigieg’s office approved $60 million in emergency funds for Maryland to rebuild and remove debris, and the Army Corps and U.S. Coast Guard said Tuesday they have spent nearly $100 million to rebuild the bridge and remove debris.
Buttigieg also repurposed the grant so more truck space could be created and lifted restrictions on operating hours for affected trucks.
“When the president of the United States says every part of this administration has to do everything you can think of within the law, we can actually move pretty quickly,” Buttigieg told Reuters.
Replacing the bridge will cost an estimated $1.7 billion to $1.9 billion, and federal officials are working to speed up environmental approvals. Maryland hopes construction will be completed by the end of 2028.