Delaware River & Bay Authority closes north & South spans to allow the ZHEN HUA 25 to cross under the spans.
NEW CASTLE (DE): The Delaware Memorial Bridge was once again shut down temporarily to all traffic to allow the vessel, the ZHEN HUA 25 to safely pass under the bridge. The decision to stop all traffic was for safety reasons-to allow for a distraction free passage, according to an earlier release.
This makes the second bridge closing in four months. In November, the bridge was shut down due to an air quality incident at Croda Industries in New Castle. Company officials said “an incorrect gasket fitted on a pipe during construction of Croda Inc.’s new bio-ethanol plant was the cause the toxic gas leak.” The faulty gasket failed, prompting emergency crews to spray water to dissipate the ethylene oxide that had leaked and caused the closure of the Delaware Memorial Bridge as a precaution.
“We are sending this gasket to independent experts for analysis and confirmation,” the company said in its release. “Our findings show that no other damage occurred to the ethylene oxide plant.”
Prior to November, the bridge was shut down for the ZHEN HUA 25 around March 23, 2018. The ZHEN HUA 25 is a heavy lift vessel that was transporting two new ship-to-shore (STS) cranes bound for Philadelphia, PA. The vessel was navigating beneath the spans of the Delaware Memorial Bridge as traffic was stopped off the bridge.
The distance from the water level to the top of the cranes aboard the ZHEN HUA 16 is 188 feet, 5 inches. 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 reopened to traffic once the ZHEN HUA 16 clears the structures. Produced by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Company in China, the two new super-post-Panamax cranes are destined for PhilaPort’s Packer Avenue Marine Terminal.
While traffic was not severely impacted in tonight’s shut down, it is expected to cause some minor headaches for motorists when it is expected to pass the bridge on Tuesday April 2, 2019 at 5:15 a.m. with a third crane destined for Wilmington, N.C.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Delaware Memorial Bridge Shuts Down For ZHEN HUA 25 Crossing.
- Minor Traffic Congestion As Authorities Close The Bridge For Approximately 30 Minutes..
- ZHEN HUA 25 is expected to pass the bridge once again on Tuesday April 2, 2019 at 5:15 a.m
