For the third time this year, the Delaware Memorial Bridge will close due to a ship carrying tall cargo.
At approximately 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 22, the ZHEN HUA 26, a heavy lift vessel transporting a new ship-to-shore (STS) crane bound for Philadelphia, PA., will be navigating beneath the spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
As a precaution and to eliminate driver distraction, the Delaware Memorial Bridge, both northbound and southbound, will be temporarily closed to all traffic for a period of approximately 30 minutes while the ship travels north to Philadelphia. This temporary closure may take place sometime between 12:45 a.m. and 1:15 a.m. early Sunday. Traffic delays are expected and motorists should plan accordingly.
The distance from the water level to the top of the cranes aboard the ZHEN HUA 26 is approximately 189 feet. Due to tides levels and the Delaware Memorial Bridge’s measured clearances, the vessel must travel under the spans during the period of low tide.
Both spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge will reopen to traffic once the ZHEN HUA 26 clears the structures. Produced by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co in China, the new super-post-Panamax crane is destined for PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
The ZHEN HUA made two previous deliveries of similar cranes to Philidelphia earlier this year. The cranes are the tallest cargo load ever to pass under the Delaware Memorial Bridge.
