A large cargo ship hit the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge over the Delaware River Thursday, leaving it unable to close and causing major backups on the Philadelphia side.
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A large cargo ship struck a bridge across the Delaware River on Thursday, disrupting traffic between Palmyra, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, according to Pennsylvania state Rep. Ed Neilson.
Neilson said the collision left the 3,659-foot-long (1,115-meter-long) Tacony-Palmyra Bridge unable to close, creating a major backup on the Philadelphia side.
No injuries were reported, Neilson said.
The steel bridge carries vehicles along Route 73 between Palmyra and the Tacony neighbourhood in northeast Philadelphia, and it has three lanes of vehicular traffic—two into Philadelphia and one into New Jersey.
Estimates from 2025 cited in the release say the bridge can carry up to 76,200 vehicles each day.
Neilson said no one answered a phone call Thursday afternoon at the Burlington County Bridge Commission, which owns, operates and maintains the bridge.
A recorded message reported the bridge was closed to vehicular and pedestrian traffic until further notice, with an update expected in time for the evening rush hour.
The Tacony-Palmyra toll bridge opened in 1929 and was listed as in “fair” condition based on Federal Highway Administration 2026 National Bridge Inventory data released this fall.
That inventory data cited deck conditions rated as good, the substructure rated as fair, and the superstructure—described as the component that absorbs the live traffic load—rated as fair.
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