Cargo ship strikes bridge between New Jersey and Philadelphia, causing traffic backup

PHILADELPHIA — A cargo ship struck a bridge across the Delaware River on Thursday, disrupting traffic between Palmyra, New Jersey, and Philadelphia, according to a Pennsylvania lawmaker. The collision left the 3,659-foot-long Tacony-Palmyra Bridge unable to close, causing a major backup on the Philadelphia side, state Rep. Ed Neilson said in a news release. No injuries have been reported, he said. The U.S. Coast Guard said the cargo vessel is currently moored at a Kinder Morgan facility in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where an inspection team is on site. The Coast Guard has not yet released further information on the ship’s owner or operator. The drawbridge was open for ships to pass through at the time of the collision around 1:15 p.m., according to the Coast Guard. It remained open afterward because another vessel needed to pass through, and has since come back down. The steel bridge carries vehicles along Route 73 between Palmyra and the Tacony neighborhood in northeast Philadelphia.

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