The Tacony-Palmyra Bridge reopened to vehicle and pedestrian traffic Thursday night after a passing ship struck it earlier in the day, leaving the drawbridge with minor damage and closing a key crossing between Philadelphia and New Jersey for hours.
Two lanes, one in each direction, were back in service around 8:40 p.m., and the full reopening followed later that night. The bridge had been shut to all traffic after the strike shortly after 1 p.m., when it was opening for marine traffic.
State Rep. Ed Neilson was among the first to alert followers on Facebook after the cargo ship hits bridge incident, saying the bridge could not close at the time and that traffic between Philadelphia and New Jersey was being disrupted. His post captured the immediate problem: a bridge meant to swing open for boats had been left in an awkward and potentially unsafe state while cars and pedestrians waited on both sides.
The Burlington County Bridge Commission said it was still investigating the extent of the damage and the cause of the accident. That left one important question unresolved even as lanes reopened: how a passing ship managed to strike the bridge during the opening, and whether any part of the drawbridge mechanism was still being checked before traffic fully resumed.
The bridge links Philadelphia and New Jersey, and because it is a drawbridge, it opens for marine traffic before closing again for road traffic. Thursday’s sequence showed how quickly that routine can turn into a disruption, even when the damage is described as minor. The crossing is back in service now, but the investigation into what happened is still moving ahead.
