Baltimore’s busy port fully reopens after bridge collapse, and a return to normal is expected

By LEA SKENE and BRIAN WITTE
Associated Press

BALTIMORE (AP) — Authorities anticipate that commercial shipping traffic through the Port of Baltimore will soon return to normal levels after its main channel fully reopened earlier this week. The reopening followed a roughly $160 million cleanup after the massive bridge collapsed into the channel in March. Some shipping companies rerouted cargo to other ports following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. But U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says he believes they will return to Baltimore with the channel restored. President Joe Biden has pledged that the federal government will cover the full cost of rebuilding. The funding still awaits approval from Congress.