Tacony-Palmyra Bridge reopens after apparent ship strike shuts span for hours

The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, which links Philadelphia with Burlington County, New Jersey, reopened Thursday night after an apparent collision with a passing ship closed it for several hours and left the drawbridge unable to lower, according to multiple outlets.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that two lanes, one in each direction, reopened around 8:40 p.m. while repairs continued. The outlets differed on pedestrian access. The Inquirer, citing officials, said the bridge reopened to both vehicles and pedestrians. 6abc Action News reported that the bridge was open to vehicles only and that pedestrians were not yet allowed.

According to the Inquirer, Burlington County said the strike happened shortly after 1 p.m., while the bridge was raised for marine traffic. 6abc also put the time at around 1 p.m. WHYY, which republished an earlier 6abc report, said officials began investigating around 3 p.m.

Burlington County officials believe a cargo ship hit the bridge, but the official cause remains under investigation, 6abc reported. The Inquirer said the Burlington County Bridge Commission, which operates the span, was reviewing both the cause and the extent of the damage, which officials described as minor.

Aerial footage from 6abc showed crews inspecting the structure, with a metal railing and parts of a brick column appearing damaged. Crews stayed on site for hours making repairs and running mechanical tests before the bridge was cleared to reopen, the station reported.

No injuries were reported, according to WHYY.

News of the incident first spread on social media through a Facebook post by state Rep. Ed Neilson, who represents part of Northeast Philadelphia, the Inquirer reported. "The bridge is unable to close at this time causing a disruption to traffic between Philadelphia and New Jersey," Neilson wrote, according to the Inquirer. WHYY's version spelled the lawmaker's name differently.

A man fishing at the Frankford boat launch told 6abc he believed he saw the rear of the vessel make contact with the bridge, after which the span would not close.

The closure caused heavy traffic on both sides of the Delaware River. Rebecca Halper told 6abc that her usual two-hour commute home to Northeast Philadelphia took five hours. "It was unbelievable. By the time we got there, there were so many cars behind us," she said, according to the station.

CBS Philadelphia also reported the closure and said crews were at the scene assessing and repairing the damage.

Compiled by True News from reporting by WHYY, CBS Philadelphia, The Philadelphia Inquirer and 6abc Action News. Each outlet's original story is linked below.

Originally published by True News: https://truenews.bagleyenterprises.net/stories/1017