Accident closes Route 44 bridge between Paulsboro, West Deptford

A traffic accident on Saturday closed the Route 44 drawbridge over Mantua Creek between Paulsboro and West Deptford, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The bridge was expected to be closed through noon Sunday, Aug. 25, to both vehicular and marine traffic, the agency said.

Quick repairs: 'A miracle' Middle Thorofare, Two Mile Bridge reopens to traffic

It said a crash on Saturday afternoon damaged a safety gate on the southbound highway, making it inoperable.

The highway was closed at 8 p.m. Saturday, with detours in both directions to allow workers to conduct emergency repairs to the safety gate.

Route 44 will reopen once the repairs are complete.

The drawbridge was the second in South Jersey to encounter problems in recent days.

The Middle Thorofare or Two Mile Bridge in Lower Township had closed over the previous weekend due to a mechanical failur.

Originally, officials said it could take weeks to fix the span between Lower Township's Diamond Beach and Cape May. But officials were able to locate a needed engine and the bridge reopened on Wednesday, Aug. 21.

Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and the Courier-Post. Email: Jwalsh@cpsj.com.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Accident closes Route 44 bridge between Paulsboro, West Deptford