2 Major Bridges Halting Traffic As Historic Ship Leaves Greater Philly

GREATER PHILADELPHIA — Two Delaware River bridges will briefly pause traffic Wednesday as one of the nation's most storied ocean liners leaves Philadelphia.

The SS United States will set sail for Florida's northwest coast, where the retired ship will become the world's largest artificial reef.

As the SS United States leaves Philadelphia, it will pass under the Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges. The traffic pauses will "help minimize driver distraction" while the ship travels beneath each span, according to the Delaware River Port Authority.

The temporary halt on the Walt Whitman Bridge is expected between 12:45 and 1 p.m., while the Commodore Barry Bridge halt is estimated between 4:45 and 5:45 p.m.

Weather and river conditions could impact timing, the DRPA says.

The rusting liner will first go to Mobile, Alabama, where it will be stripped of hazardous materials in a process expected to take about a year. It will then be sunk about 20 miles south of Destin, Florida, in the Gulf of Mexico, as part of the massive reef.Florida's Okaloosa County purchased the ship, and hopes it will be a boon for the marine ecosystem while helping with coastal erosion and also drawing in tourism, fishermen and divers.

It will be the first time the ship, which set the still-standing transatlantic speed record in July 1952, will leave Philadelphia's waters for the first time since 1996.

The ship's journey has been delayed and rescheduled several times, including recent days, when high winds prevented Monday's scheduled departure.

The Walt Whitman and Commodore Barry bridges both link South Jersey with the Philly area.

With reporting from Justin Heinze/Patch.