At about 1 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 22, the Zhen Hua 26, a heavy lift vessel transporting a new ship-to-shore crane bound for Philadelphia, will sail 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 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.
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.
Similar crane shipments have gone under the bridge in the past with no problems.
