Image source: Julia Nikhinson, AP photo

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is working to open a limited access channel to the Port of Baltimore by the end of April for farm equipment and auto shipments. The limited access 280 feet wide and 35 feet deep channel will support one-way traffic for barge container service and roll-on/roll-off vessels.

The Army Corps engineers aim to reopen the permanent 700-foot-wide by 50-feet-deep Fort McHenry Channel by the end of May. The timeline is subject to change due to adverse weather conditions and changes in the “complexity of the wreckage,” according to Lt. Gen. Scott A. Spellmon, USACE commanding general.

Baltimore is an important hub for farm equipment and certain commodity shipments. Around 25% of U.S. raw beet and sugar cane imports come through the port. Nearly $650 million worth of ag products were shipped out of Baltimore in 2023, according to data from the American Farm Bureau Federation.

Read more about efforts to restore the Baltimore port here.