The Delaware Memorial Bridge has reopened to traffic after a nearly seven-hour closure spawned by a chemical leak.
The Delaware Department of Transportation confirmed the bridge was shut down in both directions on Sunday, November 25, at 5 p.m., due to a gas leak at Croda Inc. off Cherry Lane near New Castle. Croda had requested the bridge closure after the highly-flammable chemical, ethylene oxide, was the apparent source of the leak.
The closure created a regional transportation nightmare on one of the busiest travel days of the year as folks head home from visiting family over the Thanksgiving holiday. An average of 80,000 vehicles cross the span which connects the New Jersey Turnpike and Interstate 295 in New Jersey to Interstate 95 in northern Delaware.