PHILADELPHIA - Officials on Thursday used a tugboat to free a construction barge that became wedged underneath the Vine Street Expressway Bridge after it broke free from its moorings during Tuesday's tropical storm.
The eastbound of I-676 lanes reopened to traffic shortly after 1:30 p.m Thursday with the westbound lanes expected to follow soon after.
The Vine Street Expressway Bridge had been closed to Interstate 676 traffic in both directions since Tuesday night, forcing drivers to find alternate routes in the city.
The Army Corps of Engineers was using the barge to dredge the Schuylkill River above the Fairmount Dam, when it came loose in the rain-swollen river during Isaias on Tuesday.It has now been moved back to its original location.