A cargo ship struck the Tacony-Palmyra Bridge across the Delaware River on Thursday afternoon, halting traffic between Palmyra, New Jersey, and Philadelphia and prompting an immediate closure. The U.S. Coast Guard confirmed the vessel, identified as the 591-foot Strategic Alliance, was moored at a Kinder Morgan facility in Bristol, Pennsylvania, where an inspection team was deployed.
The Burlington County Bridge Commission, which operates the bridge, announced via a recorded message that the structure was closed to all vehicular and pedestrian traffic until further notice. The Pennsylvania State Representative Ed Neilson stated in a news release that no injuries were reported as a result of the incident.
The 3,659-foot-long Tacony-Palmyra Bridge, a toll bridge opened in 1929, remained open for ship passage after the collision due to the need for another vessel to transit. It was later reopened with a lane closure by Thursday evening, according to the Burlington County Bridge Commission Police Department.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported the collision occurred around 1:15 p.m. while the drawbridge was open for ship traffic. The Strategic Alliance, built in 2013 and registered under the flag of Singapore, is currently under inspection. The Federal Highway Administration’s 2026 National Bridge Inventory rated the bridge’s condition as “fair”, with the deck in good condition, the substructure in fair condition, and the superstructure in fair condition.
The bridge carries Route 73 and accommodates up to 76,200 vehicles daily, with three lanes—two into Philadelphia and one into New Jersey. The Burlington County Bridge Commission did not respond to requests for comment on the incident or the timeline for reopening.