Decks

The bridge carries 14 lanes of traffic, seven in each direction.^[16][17] As such, the George Washington Bridge contains more vehicular lanes than any other suspension bridge and is the world's busiest vehicular bridge.^{[5][19][20][21]} The fourteen lanes of the bridge are split unevenly across two levels: the upper level contains eight lanes while the lower level contains six lanes.^[16][17] The upper level opened on October 25, 1931,^[22] and is 90 feet (27 m) wide.^[1] The upper level originally had six lanes, though two more lanes were added in 1946.^[23] Although the lower level was part of the original plans for the bridge, it did not open until August 29, 1962.^[17] The upper level has a vertical clearance of 14 feet (4.3 m), and all trucks and other oversize vehicles must use the upper level. Trucks are banned from the lower level, which has a clearance of 13.6 feet (4.1 m). All lanes on both levels are 8 feet 6 inches (2.59 m) wide.^[3][24] Vehicles carrying hazardous materials (HAZMATs) are prohibited on the lower level due to its enclosed nature. HAZMAT-carrying vehicles may use the upper level, provided that they conform to strict guidelines as outlined in the Port Authority's "Red Book".^[3][25]

Typical heavy Manhattan-bound traffic on the upper deck of the George Washington Bridge

There are two sidewalks on the upper span of the bridge, one on each side.^[26] The northern sidewalk was largely closed after the September 11 attacks;^[27] it reopened in 2017 while a temporary suicide prevention fence was installed on the southern sidewalk, in preparation for the installation of permanent fences on both sidewalks.^[28][29] Prior to 2023, pedestrians had to traverse a total of 171 steps while using the northern sidewalk. As part of a renovation, the steps were replaced by a ramp, and two viewing platforms were added.^[27][30]

The George Washington Bridge measures 4,760 feet (1,450 m) long and has a main span of 3,500 feet (1,100 m).^[1][18] Accounting for the height of the lower deck, the bridge stretches 212 feet (65 m) above mean high water at its center,^[1] and 195 feet (59 m) above mean high water under the New York anchorage.^[31] The bridge's main span was the longest main bridge span in the world at the time of its opening in 1931, and was nearly double the 1,850 feet (560 m) of the previous recordholder, the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit.^[32][33] It held this title until the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937.^[2] The completion of the George Washington Bridge proved that longer suspension bridges were both physically and economically feasible. Prior to the bridge's construction, engineers had believed that a suspension span's length was a large indicator of a suspension bridge's economic feasibility.^[34]

The George Washington Bridge's total width is 119 feet (36 m).^[1] When the upper deck was built, it was only 12 feet (3.7 m) thick without any stiffening trusses on the sides, resulting in a deck weighing 1,100 pounds per square foot (5,400 kg/m²) and a length-to-thickness ratio of about 350 to 1.^[35][36] At the time of the George Washington Bridge's opening, most long suspension spans had stiffening trusses on their sides, and spans generally had a length-to-thickness ratio of 60 to 1, which translated to a weight of 13,000 to 14,000 pounds per square foot (63,000 to 68,000 kg/m²) and a thickness equivalent to an 11-story building.^[37][34][38] During the planning process, Ammann designed the deck around the "deflection theory", an as-yet-unconfirmed assumption that longer suspension decks did not need to be as stiff in proportion to its length, because the weight of the longer deck itself would provide a counterweight against the deck's movement. This had been tested by Leon Moisseiff when he designed the Manhattan Bridge in 1909, though it was less than half the length of the George Washington Bridge.^[38] Stiffening trusses were ultimately excluded from the George Washington Bridge's design to save money; instead, a system of plate girders was installed on the underside of the upper deck. This provided the stiffening that was necessary for the bridge deck, and it was replicated on the lower deck during its construction. The plate-girders underneath each deck, combined with an open-truss design on the bridge's side that connected the decks with each other, resulted in an even stiffer span that was able to resist torsional forces.^[37]

Cables

Detail of main cables in New Jersey anchorage

Four 3-foot (0.91 m)-diameter main cables support the bridge deck.^[11] Each main cable contained 61 strands, with each strand made of 434 individual wires, for a total of 26,474 wires per main cable, and 105,986 in all. The cables are covered by a sheath of weather-resistant steel.^[39][40][41] The upper bridge deck is held by vertical suspender wires attached directly to the main cables by saddle connections; the lower deck is supported by girders attached to the upper.^[42][43][44]

The main cables are anchored in concrete on both sides of the bridge, in a purpose-built anchorage on the New York side and bored and set directly into the cliffs of the Palisades on the New Jersey.^[45][46] Originally, the end of each cable was supposed to receive one of several ornamental designs, such as a wing, fin, tire, or statue; cost-savings after the start of the Great Depression in 1929 preempted the flourishes.^[47]

Suspension towers

George Washington Bridge towers illuminated for President's Day 2023

The suspension towers on each side of the river are each 604 feet (184 m) tall.^[1] They are composed of sections weighing between 37 and 40 short tons (33 and 36 long tons) and contain a combined 475,000 rivets.^[48] Each bridge has two archways, one above and one below the decks.^[11]

The original design called for the towers to be encased in concrete and granite in a Revival style, similar to the Brooklyn Bridge.^[48][15][49] Additional scrutiny of the proposed bridge's engineering found that the steel alone could support the towers,^[50] with only a decorative stone facade being retained in the plan.^[51][52] Elevators to carry sightseers to restaurants and observatory proposed decks at the top of each tower were also all pared from the design.^[15][53][45] Ultimately, even stone facades were postponed in 1929 during the Great Depression due to rising material costs.^[54][55][56] Even though the steel towers had been left that way for cost reasons, some aesthetic critiques of the bare steel towers were favorable.^[56][55] Several groups, such as the American Institute of Steel Construction, believed that covering the steel framework with masonry would be both misleading and "fundamentally ugly".^[57]

While the exposed steel towers' design was negatively received by a few critics such as Raymond Hood and William A. Boring, the public reception at the bridge's opening was generally positive.^[18] The Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier wrote of the towers: "The structure is so pure, so resolute, so regular that here, finally, steel architecture seems to laugh."^[58][33] Milton MacKaye wrote in The New Yorker that the George Washington Bridge had established Ammann as "one of the immortals of bridge engineering and design, a genius."^[59] Ammann never incorporated masonry towers in his bridge plans again.^[48] He wrote that the "sturdy appearance and well-balanced distribution of steel in the columns and bracing" gave the bridge's towers "a good appearance, a neat appearance".^[15][60] Over time, the exposed steel towers, with their distinctive criss-crossed bracing, became one of the George Washington Bridge's most identifiable characteristics.^[39][2]

Starting on July 4, 2000, and for subsequent special occasions, each of the George Washington Bridge's suspension towers has been illuminated by 380 light fixtures that highlight the exposed steel structure.^[61] On each tower there are a mix of 150 and 1000 watt metal halide lamp fixtures.^[62] The architectural lighting design was completed by Domingo Gonzalez Associates.^[63]

American flag

The George Washington Bridge's flag, the world's largest, is hung on special occasions

Since 1947 or 1948,^{[lower-alpha 1]} the bridge has flown the world's largest free-flying American flag on special occasions. Hung inside the arch of the New Jersey tower, it measures 90 feet (27 m) long, 60 feet (18 m) wide, and 450 pounds (200 kg).^[64][16] Until 1976, the flag was taken out of a garage in New Jersey and manually erected on national holidays. During the United States' bicentennial, a mechanical hoisting system was installed, and the flag was stored along the bridge's girders when not in use.^[64] When weather allows,^[65][66] it is hoisted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.^[16] Since 2006, the flag is also flown on September 11 of each year, honoring those lost in the September 11 attacks.^[66] On events where the flag is flown, the tower lights are lit from dusk until 11:59 p.m.^[1]

Planning

George Washington Bridge looking east from Fort Lee, New Jersey

A vehicular bridge across the Hudson River was being considered as early as 1906, during the planning for the Holland Tunnel.^[74] Three possible locations for a suspension bridge were considered in the vicinity of 57th, 110th, and 179th Streets in Manhattan,^[75] with others rejected on the grounds of aesthetics, geography, or traffic flows.^[74][76] In 1920, English architect Alfred C. Bossom proposed a double-decker bridge with room for vehicular and railroad traffic near 57th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The same year, Othmar Ammann and Gustav Lindenthal proposed a vehicular and railroad bridge to 57th Street in Manhattan, topped by an office building on the Manhattan end that would have been the world's tallest.^[77] Lindenthal's plan failed because it did not receive permits from the United States Army Corps of Engineers or approval from the city, and because Midtown Manhattan real estate developers and planners opposed the plan. Ammann unsuccessfully attempted to convince Lindenthal to build his bridge elsewhere, without a tower atop the bridge's terminus.^[78] In January 1924, the New York State Chamber of Commerce voted against the 57th Street location in favor of another upstream.^[79] Despite this, Lindenthal proposed that a bridge be built there, and carry 16 railroad tracks and 12 lanes of automotive traffic.^[80]

Meanwhile, Ammann became chief engineer of the Port of New York Authority (now the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey), which was created in 1921 to oversee commerce and transport along the lower Hudson River and New York Bay.^[69] He had disassociated himself from Lindenthal's proposal by 1923, conducting his own studies on the feasibility of a bridge from 178th Street in Fort Washington, Manhattan, to Fort Lee in New Jersey.^[78] Ammann's advocacy for the Fort Washington–Fort Lee bridge gained support from both New Jersey governor George Silzer and New York governor Alfred E. Smith by mid-1923.^{[69] [78]} In May 1924, Colonel Frederick Stuart Greene, the New York Superintendent of Public Works, announced a plan to construct a suspension bridge between Fort Lee and Fort Washington. At that location, both sides were surrounded by steep cliffs (The Palisades on the New Jersey side, and Washington Heights on the New York side). Thus, it was possible to build the bridge without either impeding maritime traffic or requiring lengthy approach ramps from ground level.^[81]

A New Jersey state assemblyman introduced a bill for the Hudson River bridge that December.^[82] This bill was passed in the New Jersey Assembly in February 1925.^[83] After an initial rejection by Silzer, the Assembly made modifications before passing the bill again in March,^[84] after which Silzer signed the bill.^[85] Around the same time, the New York state legislature was also considering a similar bill.^[9] A dispute developed between New York civic groups, who supported the construction of the Hudson River Bridge; and the Parks Conservation Association, who believed that the bridge towers would degrade the quality of Fort Washington Park directly underneath the proposed bridge's deck.^[86][87] In late March 1925, the chairman of the Parks Conservation Association noted that the proposed New York state legislation would provide for the actual construction of the bridge, rather than just the planning.^[88] Ultimately, the Hudson River bridge bill was passed in the New York state legislature, and Smith approved the bill that April.^[89]

Aerial view of the bridge surrounded by cliffs on either side

In March 1925, Silzer asked Ammann to devise preliminary plans for the Hudson River bridge. Ammann found that the width of the Hudson River decreased by more than 1,000 feet (300 m) when it passed between Fort Lee and Fort Washington. The ledges of Fort Lee and Fort Washington were respectively 300 and 200 feet (91 and 61 m) above mean water level at this point, which was not only ideal geography for a suspension bridge, but also allowed the bridge to be high enough to give sufficient clearance for maritime traffic.^[9] However, the differing heights meant that a large cut had to be made through the Fort Lee ledge so that the bridge approach could be built there.^[90] The same month, the New Jersey legislature asked for funds for test bores to determine if the geological strata would support the bridge.^[9] In response to continuing concerns from park preservationists, Ammann stated that placing the New York suspension tower anywhere else would make the bridge look asymmetrical, which he believed was a worse outcome than placing the tower within the park.^[91]

The states conducted a study in mid-1925, which found that the Hudson River bridge would be able to pay for itself in twenty-five years if a 50-cent toll were to be placed on every vehicle.^[15] After funding was secured, surveyors began examining feasible sites for the future bridge's approaches in August 1925. By law, the New York end of the Hudson River Bridge could only be constructed between 178th and 185th Streets, and the New Jersey end had to be built directly across the river.^[90] Geologists made 300-foot (91 m) test bores on the New Jersey side to determine if the site was feasible for laying foundations for the bridge.^[92] Othmar Ammann was hired as the bridge's chief engineer.^[55] In Ammann's original plans for the bridge, which had been published in March 1925, he had envisioned that the bridge would contain two sidewalks; a roadway that could carry up to 8,000 vehicles per hour; and space for four railroad tracks, in case the two North River railroad tunnels downstream exceeded their train capacity.^[9] Cass Gilbert was hired in January 1926 to design architectural elements for the Hudson River bridge, including the suspension towers. The bridge design had yet to be finalized, and its cost could not even be estimated at that point due to the complexity of factors.^[93]

Gilbert released preliminary sketches of the Hudson River bridge that March; by then, the architect had decided that the span would be a suspension bridge.^[49] The sketch accompanied a feasibility report that Ammann and other engineers presented to the Port of New York Authority, which was to operate the bridge. The central span was to be 3,500 feet (1,100 m) long, longer than any other suspension bridge in existence at the time, and 200 feet above mean high water. The bridge would initially carry four lanes of vehicular traffic and sidewalk lanes; the plans called for three additional phases of expansion, culminating in an eight-lane bridge deck with four rapid-transit tracks underneath. The span would be supported by two towers, each 650 feet (200 m) tall.^[94][78] There would also be space to build a second deck in the future below the main deck.^[95] Ammann's team also found that the most feasible location for the bridge was at 179th Street in Manhattan (as opposed to 181st or 175th Streets). This was both because the 179th Street location was more aesthetically appealing than the other two locations, and because a 179th Street bridge would be cheaper and shorter in length than a bridge at either of the other streets.^[94] At this point in the planning process, the Hudson River bridge's estimated cost was $40 million^[49] or $50 million.^[94] Because of the proposed bridge's length, engineers also had to test the strength of materials, including suspension cables, that were to be used in the span.^[96][97][36] Ammann's research department constructed scale models of various designs for the bridge and tested them in wind tunnels.^[36]

By late 1926, one engineer predicted that construction on the Hudson River bridge would start the following summer.^[98] In December 1926, the final plans for the bridge were approved by the public^[99] and by the War Department.^[100] The Port Authority planned to sell off $50 million worth of bonds to pay for the bridge, and the initial $20 million bond issue was sold that December.^[101] Further issues arose when the New Jersey Assembly passed a bill in March 1927, which increased the New Jersey governor's power to veto Port Authority contracts. Smith, the New York governor, and Silzer, the now-former New Jersey governor who had been appointed Port Authority chairman, both objected to the bill since the Port Authority had been intended as a bi-state venture.^[102][103] Afterward, the then-current New Jersey governor A. Harry Moore worked with legislators to revise the legislation.^[104] The revised law was ultimately not a significant deviation from the Port Authority's practice at the time, wherein the Port Authority was already submitting its contracts to New Jersey government for review.^[105]

Construction

The George Washington Bridge's construction employed three teams of workers: one each for the New Jersey tower, the New York tower, and the deck.^[106] The construction process was relatively safe, although twelve or thirteen workers died during its construction.^[18][106] Of these, three were killed when the foundation for the New Jersey tower flooded; a fourth worker was killed by a blast at the New Jersey anchorage; and the others died because of their own carelessness, according to Port Authority records.^[106]

First contracts

The bridge, looking south at sunset from the New York side of the Hudson River

In April 1927, the Port Authority opened the first bids for the construction of the Hudson River bridge. It was specifically seeking bids for the construction of the New Jersey suspension tower's foundation.^[107] The Manhattan suspension anchorage's location was still undecided at this time.^[108] A bid for the New Jersey tower was awarded later that month.^[109] In May, the Port Authority opened more bids for the construction of the bridge's approaches and anchorage on the New Jersey side.^[110] Dredging operations on the Hudson River, which would allow large ships to pass underneath the bridge, also started that May.^[111] By late August, the Port Authority had started condemning plots of land for the bridge's approaches.^[112]

Montgomery B. Case, chief construction engineer,^[113] began construction on the Hudson River bridge on September 21, 1927, with groundbreaking ceremonies held at the sites of both future suspension towers.^[114][115] Each tower was to have a base with a perimeter measuring 89 by 98 feet (27 by 30 m), and descending 80 feet into the riverbed. The riverbed around the towers' sites was dredged first, and then steel pilings were placed in the riverbed to create a watertight cofferdam. The cofferdams for the bridge were the largest ever built at the time.^[40][116] In early October of that year, the Port Authority received bids for the construction of the bridge deck. There were two main methods being considered for the span's construction: the cheaper "wire-cable" method and the more expensive "eyebar" method.^[117][44] The wire-cable method, where the vertical suspender wires are attached directly to the main cables and the deck directly, would require a stiffening truss to support the deck. The eyebar method, where the suspender wires are attached to a chain of eyebars (metal bars with holes in them), would be self-supporting.^[39][118] Ultimately, the Port Authority chose the wire-cable design because of costs, and it awarded the contract for constructing the deck to John A. Roebling Sons' Company.^[43][44][39] The corresponding contract for manufacturing the steel was awarded to the McClintic-Marshall Company.^[119] The first serious accident during the bridge's construction occurred in December 1927, when three men drowned while working in a caisson on the New Jersey side.^[120]

Towers and anchorages

The Manhattan suspension tower, seen from below

Bids for the Manhattan suspension tower were advertised in March 1928.^[121] At this point, 64% of the total projected worth of construction contracts had been awarded. The piers that provided foundation for the New Jersey suspension tower and approaches were being constructed.^[95] The cliffs on both sides of the river were high enough that only minimal bridge approaches were required on either side. The towers' foundations could reach at most 190 feet (58 m) below mean low water, where the foundations would hit a layer of solid rock.^[122] In May 1928, builders started drilling a 50-foot-deep (15 m) cut through the Palisades on the New Jersey side so that the Hudson River bridge approach could be built.^[123] By June 1928, half of the money earned during the previous year's $20 million bond sale had been spent on construction.^[124] By that October, nearly all blasting operations had been completed. The suspension tower on the New Jersey side had been constructed to a height of 250 feet (76 m), and the tower on the New York side was progressing as well.^[125] The suspension towers consisted of 13 segments, each of which were almost 50 feet high.^[40]

The New York anchorage required 370,000 short tons (330,000 long tons; 340,000 t) of concrete, being freestanding, while the New Jersey anchorage was blasted into the Palisades.^[18] By March 1929, the concrete structure of the New York anchorage had been completed, three months ahead of schedule. The anchorage on the New Jersey side, which had been fully bored, consisted of two holes that had been bored 250 feet into the face of the Palisades. On the New Jersey side, 225,000 cubic yards (172,000 m³) of rock had to be blasted out to make way for the New Jersey approach. The suspension towers were nearly complete at the time of the report; only 100 feet of each tower's height remained to be built. Anchors were being placed in the two holes that were being drilled for the New Jersey anchorage, and this task was also nearing completion.^[45]

In April, the Port Authority acquired the last of the properties that were in the path of the bridge's Manhattan approach.^[126] Plans for the Manhattan approach were approved by the New York City Board of Estimate around the same time. The approach was to consist of scenic, meandering ramps leading to both Riverside Drive and the Henry Hudson Parkway, which run along the eastern bank of the Hudson River at the bottom of the cliff in Washington Heights. The bridge would also connect to 178th and 179th Streets, at the top of Washington Heights. A third connection would be made to an underground highway running between and parallel to 178th and 179th Streets; this connection would become the 178th–179th Street Tunnels, and would later be replaced by the Trans-Manhattan Expressway.^[127] The original plan for the approach to the underground highway stated that the approach would be made using a monumental stone viaduct descending from the span at a 2.2% gradient.^[116] The Port Authority started evicting residents in the approach's path in October 1929.^[128] The same month, the Port Authority sold the final $30 million in bonds to pay for the bridge.^[129]

The plans for the Hudson River bridge's Fort Lee approach were also changed in January 1930. Originally, the bridge would have terminated in a traffic circle,^[130] a type of intersection design that was being built around New Jersey during the 1920s and 1930s.^[131] However, the revised plans called for a grade-separated highway approach that would connect to a traffic "distributing basin" with ramps to nearby highways.^[130] The total cost of land acquisition for the bridge approaches on both sides of the Hudson River exceeded $10 million.^[132]

Cable spinning

A close up view of a vertical suspender cable, which is connected to the larger main cable with what is called a "saddle"

After the towers were completed, two temporary catwalks were built between the two suspension towers.^[133][40] Then, workers began laying the bridge's four main cables, a series of thick cables that stretch between the tops of the two towers and carry what would later become the upper deck. The first strand of the first main cable was hoisted between both towers in July 1929, in a ceremony attended by the governors of both states and the mayors of New York City and Fort Lee.^[134] The two temporary catwalks allowed workers to spin the wires for the main cables on-site.^[133][135] The wires for the cables were spun by dozens of reels at a dock near the base of the New York anchorage; each reel contained 30 miles of wire at any given time.^[41] A total of 105,986 wires were used in the bridge when it was completed.^[40][41]

By February 1930, the bridge was halfway complete; since construction was two months ahead of schedule, the bridge was scheduled to open in early 1932. A team of 350 men was spinning the wires for each of the 36-inch-wide (91 cm) main cables, which were 22% complete. In addition, the builders had started ordering steel for the deck.^[136] By April, the spinning of the main cables was half complete.^[137] The first main cable was completed in late July 1930,^[138] and the other three main cables were completed that August,^[139] with the laying of the last wire being marked by a ceremony.^[10] The spinning of the main cables had taken ten months in total.^[46]

After the main cables were laid, workers spun the suspender wires that connected the main cables with the deck. When it was finished, the system of cables would support 90,000 short tons (80,000 long tons) of the deck's weight, though the cables would be strong enough to carry 350,000 short tons (310,000 long tons), four times as much weight.^[140][41] The construction of a lower deck for rail usage was postponed, since the start of the Depression meant that there would not be enough railroad traffic to justify the construction of such a deck in the near future.^[141]

Nearing completion

An aerial image included as Exhibit 2 of the "1930 Agreement" between the Port of New York Authority and the City of New York

An exhibit in the "1930 Agreement" between the Port of New York Authority and the City of New York depicts a roadway connection over Riverside Drive

An agreement between the Port of New York Authority and the City of New York, dated July 29, 1930, was formed to convey property and property easements granted in relation to the New York Approach to the then Hudson River Bridge.^[142] That month, the Port Authority opened the bidding process for contracts to build the Hudson River bridge's approaches on the New York side. These included contracts for the 178th-179th Street Tunnels and the Riverside Drive connection.^[143] The tunnel contracts were awarded later that month.^[138] In August, the bidding process for the Fort Lee approaches was opened.^[144] Bids for the Riverside Drive connection were received the following month.^[145]

Prior to and during construction, the bridge was unofficially known as the "Hudson River Bridge" or "Fort Lee Bridge".^[146] The Hudson River Bridge Association started seeking suggestions for the bridge's official name in October 1930. Residents of New York and New Jersey were encouraged to send naming choices to the association, which would then forward the suggestions to the Port Authority.^[147] According to ballot voting submitted to the Port Authority, the "Hudson River Bridge" name was the most popular choice.^[146] The Port Authority preferred the name "George Washington Memorial Bridge", which had been proposed by a board member, and still others championed the name "Palisades Bridge".^[15][148] However, the Port Authority formally adopted the "George Washington" name on January 13, 1931, honoring the general and future president's evacuation of Manhattan at the bridge's location during the Revolutionary War.^[149] This was described as potentially confusing, since there was already a "Washington Bridge" connecting 181st Street with the Bronx, directly across Manhattan from the "George Washington Bridge" across the Hudson River.^[78][150] Shortly afterward, the Port Authority Board of Commissioners voted to reconsider the renaming of the Hudson River Bridge, stating that it was open to alternate names.^[151] Hundreds of naming choices had been submitted by this time.^[152] The most popular naming choices were those of Washington, Christopher Columbus, and Hudson River namesake Henry Hudson.^[153] The span was again officially named for George Washington in April 1931.^[154][155] This decision was applauded by then-congressman Fiorello La Guardia, who felt that other options "insulted the memory of our first President and encouraged the Reds".^[15][148]

View of the bridge looking north from Edgewater, New Jersey, early 1931

The system of girders to support the deck were installed throughout 1930, and the last girder was installed in late December 1930.^[156] In March 1931, the Port Authority announced that the Hudson River Bridge was set to open later that year, rather than in 1932 as originally planned. At that time, the Port Authority had opened bids for paving the road surface.^[157] Later that month, the agency published a report, which stated that the bridge's early opening date was attributable to how quickly and efficiently the various materials had been transported.^[158] In June 1931, forty bankers became the first people to cross the bridge.^[159]

Work was progressing quickly on the bridge approaches in New Jersey,^[160] and the New York City government was considering building another bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx (the Alexander Hamilton Bridge) to connect with the George Washington Bridge.^[161] Bids for constructing tollbooths and floodlight towers were opened in July 1931.^[162]

1930s to 1950s

Opening

The cover of the November 1931 edition of the Jester of Columbia, the humor magazine at Columbia University, celebrating the opening of the George Washington Bridge

The George Washington Bridge was dedicated on October 24, 1931, and the bridge opened to traffic on October 25, 1931, eight months ahead of schedule.^[163][22] The opening ceremony, attended by 30,000 guests, was accompanied by a show from military airplanes, as well as speeches from politicians including Morgan Foster Larson, the governor of New Jersey, and Franklin D. Roosevelt, the governor of New York. The first people to cross the George Washington Bridge were reportedly two elementary school students who roller-skated across the bridge from the New York side.^[22][164] Pedestrians were allowed to walk the length of the George Washington Bridge between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. The bridge was formally opened to traffic the next day.^[165] The Port Authority collected tolls for drivers who used the bridge in either direction; as with the Holland Tunnel, the toll was set at 50 cents for passenger cars, with different toll rates for other vehicle types.^[165] Pedestrians paid a toll of 10 cents each, which was lowered to 5 cents in 1934.^[166] Within the first 24 hours of the George Washington Bridge's official opening, 56,312 cars used the span, as well as 100,000 pedestrians (including those who had walked across after the ceremony).^[165] The Port Authority reported that 33,540 pedestrians crossed the bridge on the first day, of which 20,000 paid a toll to cross.^[16]

During the George Washington Bridge's construction, the cost of the bridge was estimated at $75 million,^[167] and the bridge was expected to carry eight million vehicles and 1.5 million pedestrians in its first year of operation.^[92] When the George Washington Bridge opened, it was estimated that eight million vehicles would use the bridge in its first year, and that the bridge could ultimately carry 60 million vehicles annually after a second deck was added. The bridge's final cost was estimated at $60 million.^[168][169] Real-estate speculators believed that the bridge's construction would raise real-estate values in Fort Lee, since the borough's residents would be able to more easily access New York City. During the construction of the George Washington Bridge, speculators spent millions of dollars to buy land around the bridge's New Jersey approach.^[170] The bridge was later credited with helping raise land prices and encouraging residential development in formerly agricultural parts of Bergen County. It also spurred the rise of the trucking industry along the United States' East Coast, supplanting much of the freight railroads that used to carry cargo.^[171]

In the George Washington Bridge's first week of operation, the bridge carried 116,265 vehicles, compared to the Holland Tunnel's 173,010 vehicles, despite the fact that the tunnel had fewer lanes than the bridge did. During that time span, 56,000 pedestrians used the bridge.^[172] A week after the bridge opened, the 10-lane tollbooth was expanded to 14 lanes because of heavy weekend traffic volumes.^[173] In its first year of operation, the George Washington Bridge saw 5.5 million vehicular crossings and nearly 500,000 pedestrian crossings.^[174] Traffic counts on the George Washington Bridge grew year after year. By the time of the bridge's tenth anniversary in 1941, the span had been used by 72 million vehicles total, including a record 9.1 million vehicles in 1940.^[175]

Lower deck

USS Nautilus passes under the bridge in 1956, when the bridge had only a single deck

The completion of the George Washington Bridge's lower deck, as well as the construction of a new bus terminal and other highway connections near the bridge, were recommended in a 1955 study that suggested improvements to the New York City area's highway system. The lower deck was approved by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.^[185][186] A Bergen County leader voted against the construction of the lower level in 1956, temporarily delaying construction plans.^[187] The New York City Planning Commission approved the George Washington Bridge improvement in June 1957,^[188] and the Port Authority allocated funds to the improvement that July.^[189][190] The $183 million project included the construction of the lower deck; the George Washington Bridge Expressway, a 12-lane expressway connecting to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and the Cross Bronx Expressway (later I-95 and US 9); the George Washington Bridge Bus Station above the expressway; and a series of new ramps to and from the Henry Hudson Parkway.^[190][191] On the New Jersey side, two depressed toll plazas, one in each direction, were to be constructed for lower level traffic.^[186][191] Highway connections were also being built on the New Jersey side, including a direct approach from I-95.^[192]

Construction of the approaches started in September 1958.^[181] Work on the lower level itself started on June 2, 1959,^[141] but work was briefly halted later that year because of a lack of steel.^[193] By February 1960, construction was underway on the lower level; the supporting steelwork for the future deck had been completed, and the sections for the lower deck were being installed.^[190] The George Washington Bridge's lower deck would comprise 75 steel slabs; each slab weighed 220 tons and measured 108 feet (33 m) wide by 90 feet (27 m) feet long, with a thickness of 30 feet (9.1 m). The construction of the slabs proceeded from either side of the bridge.^[181] The right-of-way for the George Washington Bridge Expressway had been almost entirely cleared except for the ventilation buildings for the 178th-179th Street Tunnels.^[190] The segments of the lower deck had been laid completely by September 1960, at which point workers started pouring the concrete for the deck's roadway, a process that took five weeks.^[194] The layer of concrete measured 4 inches (10 cm) thick.^[181] Finally, the deck was paved over with a 2.5-inch (6.4 cm) layer of asphalt.^[195][181]

New ramps to the George Washington Bridge in New Jersey, including from the newly completed I-95, opened in mid-1962.^[196] The lower deck was opened to the public on August 29, 1962.^[17][181] The lower level, nicknamed "Martha" after George's wife Martha Washington,^[197][67] increased the capacity of the bridge by 75 percent,^[181] and simultaneously made the George Washington Bridge the world's only 14-lane suspension bridge.^[17][198] In addition to providing extra capacity, the lower level served to stiffen the bridge in high winds; before the lower deck was constructed, the George Washington Bridge was known to swing up to 30 inches (76 cm).^[191] The George Washington Bridge Bus Station opened on January 17, 1963 and the Alexander Hamilton Bridge opened on January 15, 1963, thus allowing more traffic to use the George Washington Bridge.^[199] In the first year after the lower level's opening, the expanded bridge had carried 44 million vehicles. By comparison, 35.86 million vehicles had crossed the bridge in an 11-month period between September 1, 1961 and July 31, 1962. In addition, traffic congestion at the George Washington Bridge was reduced after the lower level opened, and the Port Authority was able to make repairs to the upper level for the first time in the bridge's history.^[200]

1970s to 1990s

Lower deck

A fixed median was added to the upper deck in the 1970s.^[16] The bridge was carrying 82.8 million vehicles per year by 1980.^[33] The George Washington Bridge was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers on October 24, 1981, the 50th anniversary of the bridge's dedication ceremony.^[2] The 50th anniversary was also marked with a parade of automobiles. At that point, 1.8 billion vehicles had used the bridge throughout its lifetime.^[171]

In 1990, the Port Authority announced a minor rehabilitation for the George Washington Bridge. As part of the project, the supporting structural steel for the upper deck would be replaced, and some ramps would be rebuilt.^[201] The ramps on the New York side, connecting with Riverside Drive and the Henry Hudson Parkway, were to be reconstructed for $27.6 million after studies in the late 1980s showed deterioration on these ramps.^[202] Although the Port Authority had announced the repairs in advance, the start of roadwork in September 1990 caused extensive traffic jams.^[203]

2000s to present

In 2000, the Port Authority proposed building a ramp from the lower level to the Palisades Interstate Parkway on the New Jersey side.^[204] Originally, the ramp would have cost $86.5 million and would have been completed in 2003 or 2004. However, the connection was ultimately not built.^[205] The northern sidewalk was closed after the September 11 attacks in 2001 because of security concerns.^[27]

George Washington Bridge seen from Castle Village, shrouded in winter fog in December 2013

In December 2011, the Port Authority announced plans to repair the bridge. For the first time, the vertical suspender ropes would be replaced, at an expected cost of more than $1 billion paid for by toll revenue.^[206] On August 5, 2013, repair crews began an $82-million effort to fix cracks in upper-deck structural steel caused by traffic, particularly heavy trucks. The plan called for replacing 632 road deck panels, which would add at least 20 years of service life to the roadway. The work proceeded at night, and was slated to be complete by year's end. Delays prevented completion, and ultimately the work was halted for the winter.^[207] Work restarted in June 2014 and was expected to last another 12 weeks.^[208]

The Port Authority also started a $2 billion project to renovate or replace bridge components.^[209][30] The lower level was repaved in 2016, and repainting work and maintenance platform replacement on the lower deck was completed in 2017.^[210] The bridge's 592 vertical suspender ropes were then replaced to fix damage caused by excessive heat and humidity.^[21][210] The staircases leading to the sidewalks on both the northern and southern sides of the upper deck were also being replaced with ramps that were compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. The Trans-Manhattan Expressway was being renovated in conjunction with this project.^[210] On the New Jersey side, the Palisades Interstate Parkway cloverleaf ramp onto the eastbound George Washington Bridge would be replaced at a cost of $112.6 million by 2019. Two overpasses near the bridge would also be refurbished.^[211][212] The northern sidewalk reopened in early 2023, after the suspender ropes on that side had been replaced.^[27][30] By early 2024, the restoration project was half complete, and workers were restoring the southern sidewalk.^[209]

New Jersey

The George Washington Bridge carries I-95 and US 1/9 between New Jersey and New York. Coming from New Jersey, US 46 terminates at the state border in the middle of the bridge. Further west, I-80, US 9W, New Jersey Route 4, and the New Jersey Turnpike also feed into the bridge via either I-95, U.S. 1/9, or U.S. 46 but end before reaching it. I-80 also gives drivers from the Garden State Parkway and Route 17 access to the bridge, and access to them as seen by signage on I-95 south. The Palisades Interstate Parkway connects directly to the bridge's upper level, though not to the lower level;^[213] however, a ramp to link the Interstate Parkway to the lower level was proposed in 2000.^[204] The marginal roads and local streets above the highways are known as GWB Plaza.^[213] The bridge's toll plaza, which collects tolls from eastbound/northbound traffic only, is located on the New Jersey side.^{[214][1][215]}

New York

Ramps on the New York side, seen in 1973

On the New York side, the 12-lane Trans-Manhattan Expressway heads east across the narrow neck of Upper Manhattan, from the bridge to the Harlem River. It provides access from both decks to 178th and 179th Streets, which cross Manhattan horizontally, where U.S. 9 leaves the expressway and follows Broadway; the Henry Hudson Parkway and Riverside Drive, on the Hudson River's eastern bank along the west side of Manhattan; and to Amsterdam Avenue and the Harlem River Drive, on the Harlem River's western bank on the east side. The expressway connects directly with the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which spans the Harlem River as part of the Cross-Bronx Expressway (I-95), providing access to the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87).^[213] Heading towards New Jersey, local access to the bridge is available from 179th Street. There are also ramps connecting the bridge to the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal,^[216] a commuter bus terminal with direct access to the New York City Subway at the 175th Street station on the IND Eighth Avenue Line (served by the A train).^[217]

Originally, the approach to the George Washington Bridge from the New York side consisted of a roundabout encircling a fountain, which was designed by Cass Gilbert. This plan was scrapped after it was deemed to be infeasible, due to the congestion that the weaving movements would create.^[37] The final plans called for meandering roadways from Riverside Drive and Henry Hudson Parkway, which run along the eastern bank of the Hudson River at the bottom of the cliff in Washington Heights. The Henry Hudson Parkway actually passes under the New York side's anchorage using an underpass designed by Gilbert.^[127][214] The connection to the 178th–179th Street Tunnels, which connected to the southbound Harlem River Drive, opened in 1940.^[180] The tunnels were replaced by the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, which opened in 1962.^[17][181] The tunnels and expressway were built to minimize disruption to the Washington Heights neighborhood, which had already been developed at the time.^[218]

Alternate routes

Further south along the Hudson River, the Lincoln Tunnel (Route 495) and Holland Tunnel (Interstate 78/Route 139) also enter Manhattan.^[219] Both tunnels are operated by the Port Authority, which collects tolls from drivers crossing the Hudson River eastbound toward New York City.^[220] The Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge (I-278), connecting the New York City boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn, is the southernmost alternate route. It connects to the Bayonne Bridge, Goethals Bridge, and Outerbridge Crossing between Staten Island and New Jersey.^[219] All four bridges to Staten Island collect tolls for drivers driving into the island.^{[lower-alpha 3]}

Farther north within the New York metropolitan area, the Tappan Zee Bridge (Interstates 87/287 and New York State Thruway) avoids the congested Cross Bronx Expressway and the city proper. Thruway traffic sometimes uses the George Washington Bridge as a detour, since no roads cross the Hudson River between the George Washington and Tappan Zee bridges.^[222] The Tappan Zee Bridge also charges tolls for eastbound drivers.^[223] Even farther north is the Bear Mountain Bridge, carrying U.S. 6 and U.S. 202, about 20 miles (32 km) north of the Tappan Zee Bridge; it also charges tolls for eastbound drivers.^[224]

Historic toll rates

Tolls for the bridge cost $.50 one way in 1931, but have been raised over the years to a $17 cash toll for passenger vehicles, which was enacted on January 8, 2023.^[236]

Prior to July 10, 2022, a discounted carpool toll ($7.75) was available at all times for cars with three or more passengers using NY or NJ E-ZPass, who proceed through a staffed toll lane (provided they have registered with the free "Carpool Plan"), except if entering from the Palisades Interstate Parkway entrance to the bridge.^[251] The Carpool Plan ended when the George Washington Bridge implemented cashless tolling.^[235]

Suicides and deaths

The George Washington Bridge is among the most frequently chosen sites in the New York metropolitan area for suicide by jumping or falling off the bridge.^[256] The first death by jumping occurred before the bridge even opened, though it was unintentional. On September 21, 1930, a stunt jumper named Norman J. Terry jumped off the bridge's deck in front of a crowd of thousands, but because his body was facing the wrong way, he broke his neck upon hitting the water.^{[257][258][259]} The first intentional suicide occurred on November 3, 1931, a little more than one week after the bridge opened.^[260]

Several suicide attempts off the George Washington Bridge have been widely publicized. In 1994, a person going by the name "Prince" called The Howard Stern Show while on the bridge, threatening to kill himself, but Stern managed to talk him out of it.^[261][262] The 2010 suicide of Tyler Clementi, who had jumped from the bridge, drew national attention to cyberbullying and the struggles facing LGBT youth.^[263]

In 2012, a record 18 people threw themselves off the bridge to their deaths, while 43 others attempted to do so but survived.^[264] There were 18 deaths reported in both 2014 and 2015. In 2014, 74 people were stopped by the Port Authority police, while the next year, another 86 people were stopped by the Port Authority police. In 2016, there were 12 reported deaths, a decrease from previous years, while 70 people were stopped by the Port Authority police.^[265] In 2017, the Port Authority proposed equipping a two-person Emergency Services Unit team with harnesses to prevent suicides from the bridge.^[266] Following 15 reported deaths and 68 attempts in 2017, the Port Authority installed protective netting and an 11-foot-high (3.4 m) fence along each upper level sidewalk. The netting partially overhangs the sidewalks in order to prevent potential jumpers from scaling the fence directly.^[267][28] The southern sidewalk was closed from September to December 2017 so that a temporary fence could be installed there. Once the temporary fence had been erected, the permanent 11-foot-high barrier was constructed on the northern sidewalk, followed by the permanent barrier on the southern sidewalk.^[28][29]

Controversies and protests

From September 9 to 13, 2013, dedicated toll lanes for one of the local Fort Lee entrances to the bridge's upper level were reduced from three to one, with the two other lanes diverted to highway traffic, without notification to local government officials and emergency responders. The closures were made on the direction of aides and appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, causing a political controversy called "Bridgegate".^[268] The local toll lane reductions caused massive traffic congestion, with major delays for school transportation and police and emergency service responses within Fort Lee.^[269][270] The repercussions and controversy surrounding these actions have been investigated by the Port Authority,^[271] federal prosecutors,^[272] and a New Jersey legislature committee.^[273][274]

On September 12, 2020, a hundred anti-police brutality protesters from the Black Lives Matter movement converged from both New York and New Jersey, blocking the upper level of the bridge for about an hour before walking to the New York City Police Department's 34th Precinct in Manhattan.^[275][276]

Other incidents

The bridge as seen in 1978

On December 28, 1966, a 19-year-old pilot made an emergency landing on the bridge's New Jersey side after his plane's engine failed. There were no deaths reported, because there was very little traffic at the time, but the pilot and his passenger were injured.^[277][16] At the time, there was no median barrier on the bridge's upper deck.^[16]

In June 1977, two tractor-trailers nearly fell off the lower level after jackknifing, then going through both the roadway barrier and a mesh net next to the roadway. One of the drivers was hurt slightly, while the other driver was not hurt. The accident also involved a third tractor-trailer and two passenger cars, none of whose occupants were hurt.^[278] Accidents involving trucks dumping their cargo have also occurred on the George Washington Bridge. Watermelons, frozen chicken parts, and horse manure have all fallen onto the bridge's roadway at some point.^[33]

The first-ever complete closure of the George Washington Bridge occurred on August 6, 1980, when a truck carrying highly flammable propane gas across the bridge started to leak.^[33][279] As a safety precaution in case the fuel started to ignite, traffic across the bridge was halted for several hours, and 2,000 people living near the bridge were evacuated. Since the George Washington Bridge is the primary crossing between New Jersey and New York City, the closure caused traffic jams that stretched for up to 30 miles (48 km), and the effects of this congestion could be seen more than 45 miles (72 km) away.^[279] Two police officers eventually plugged the leak with an inexpensive device.^[280] Up to that point, trucks carrying flammable material had been allowed to use the George Washington Bridge.^[281] After the incident, New York City officials conducted a study on whether to prohibit hazardous cargo from traveling through the city.^[282]

During the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, several news organizations, including CNN, reported that a vehicle filled with explosives had been found on the lower level of the bridge.^[283][284] However, several investigations found no evidence of a vehicle containing explosives on the bridge.^[285]

Notes

Citations

Sources

• Rastorfer, Darl (2000). "Chapter 2: The George Washington Bridge". Six bridges : the legacy of Othmar H. Ammann. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-08047-6. OCLC 41977224.
• Reier, Sharon (2000). The Bridges of New York. New York City Series. Dover Publications. ISBN 978-0-486-41230-6.
• Rockland, Michael Aaron (2008). The George Washington Bridge: Poetry in Steel. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-4375-8.
• Stern, Robert A. M.; Gilmartin, Patrick; Mellins, Thomas (1987). New York 1930: Architecture and Urbanism Between the Two World Wars. New York: Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-3096-1. OCLC 13860977.