Barge Hits Susquehanna River Bridge Pier

HAVRE DE GRACE, MD — Thousands of travelers' plans were derailed after a barge hit the Susquehanna River Bridge on the Northeast Corridor between Havre de Grace and Perryville, disrupting Amtrak service between Baltimore, Maryland, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Saturday.

Amtrak’s NEC Alerts social media feed reported that delays of up to two hours were expected while the bridge underwent an inspection following the crash.

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A Coast Guard spokesman told The Baltimore Sun that the barge caused minimal damage to the wood surrounding the bridge pier that it hit, and there was no damage to the tugboat involved.

Officials believe a shift in the wind's direction pushed the tugboat off its course, which caused the empty barge it was towing to hit the bridge.