Government officials say that the reopening this week of Baltimore's main ship channel, less than three month after the Key Bridge collapse, was made possible by the expertise from the COVID task force and a collapsed highway overpass, as well as the 2021 Infrastructure Law.

The fatal collision between the cargo ship Dali and the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26 had paralyzed an important transportation artery in the U.S. Northeast.

In just a few hours, Joe Biden instructed his aides that the channel be reopened and the bridge rebuilt, promising the federal government to cover all costs. His administration was criticized for its response to a derailment in Ohio 2023.

On Monday, federal officials announced that the full channel was restored to its original condition after removing 50,000 tons worth of debris. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, along with other officials, will be holding a press conference to celebrate the reopening.

The Coast Guard established an Unified Command quickly after the collapse to coordinate the search, recovery, and response efforts. The Unified Command was responsible for more than 1,500 responders from 56 federal, local, and state agencies, along with 500 experts operating a fleet to remove steel, concrete, and shipping debris.

Natalie Quillian, White House deputy chief-of-staff, told Reuters: "I believe that establishing a unified command was one of the most significant things we did."

"There was a clear command and controlling of what is an extremely complex operational challenge that involves stakeholders from the federal and state governments and private sector."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which supervises the federal navigation canal, could rely on the U.S. Navy's Supervisor of Salvage to carry out the massive operation.

"That is exactly the power of a unified command," Col. Estee Pinchasin, Baltimore District Commander for USACE said. By early April, the USACE had set a timetable to reopen the channel.

Shortly after the collapse of the bridge, Biden created a council in 2021 that would address COVID supply chain shortages. Federal agencies also opened offices that were specialized to monitor supply issues.

Lael Briand, director of the White House National Economic Council, said that "we developed these protocols in the first year after the pandemic." This is a very intense sprint that we activate immediately to basically troubleshoot, and share information.

Brainard cited the lessons learned by the collapsed Interstate-95 Overpass in Philadelphia, which was quickly reopened.

He said, "The I-95 collapse prompted such a quick response that we felt confident in our ability to respond."

Brainard and Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg made a joint call to ensure that business, labor and ports operators have the "same data to help them quickly develop workaround plans."

Both pointed to the $1 trillion infrastructure bill that has significantly increased spending on bridges, and other projects. This law gave the administration the "muscle memory" and know-how it needed to take on big challenges.

Buttigieg’s office approved 60 million dollars in emergency funds to Maryland for rebuilding and removing debris. The U.S. Army Corps and Coast Guard announced on Tuesday that they had spent nearly 100 million dollars on the bridge response and debris clearance.

Buttigieg repurposed the grant to create more cargo space and lifted the hours of service limit for trucking.

Buttigieg said to Reuters that "when the president of the United States tells every part of this government to do everything you think of within the law - we actually can move quite quickly."

Federal officials are rushing to get environmental approvals. Maryland hopes to have it completed by the end of 2028.