About 20 spectators watched Tuesday as the Rancocas Creek Bridge got close to its final resting place, almost four months after it unexpectedly toppled.

Officials planned to have the bridge secured in place this morning.

Some onlookers even brought folding chairs and coolers to the site Tuesday.

"It was either this or reruns on television, and this is much more interesting," said John Reynolds, laughing as he stood on the shoreline off Rancocas Avenue with a bottle of soda in hand.

The creek was closed to traffic as several small towboats pushed a barge holding the bridge into its first position about 3 p.m.

A lull followed as low tide arrived about 7:30 p.m. But the activity picked up again after the tide changed. That's when workers prepared to move it upstream and turn it so it would settle over its supports.

Boats were scheduled to guide the barge into position just before the 1:23 a.m. high tide today, then keep it in place so that the bridge only needs to be bolted in place when low tide arrives at 8:30 a.m.

"We'll be letting the tide do all of the hard work for us," said Charles J. Ingoglia, NJ Transit's director of public affairs for new rail construction.

The 210-foot-long bridge will connect the New Jersey Light Rail System between Riverside and Delanco. It was just 24 hours away from being floated into place when, on April 5, it suddenly listed 45 degrees and toppled in the middle of the creek.

It came to rest against a crane that was being used to lift material onto the barge, sending five workers into the water. None suffered any serious injury, but work on the bridge was delayed for several weeks.

The bridge was lifted back into an upright position late last Friday.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating the April 5 accident, which South Jersey Rail Group officials attributed to faulty design on the part of the subcontractor erecting the bridge, Archer Steel Co. of Hightstown.

The rail line, which is scheduled to open in early 2003, will connect Camden with Trenton.