The George Washington Bridge - a photo essay
The George Washington Bridge with its graceful sweeping design looks over and can be seen from where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Hudson River and North up the Hudson river past the Tappan Zee Bridge, (officially renamed the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge)
It stands high above the Hudson River, its eastern end resting on the shores of northern Manhattan, its western end embedded in the wooded bluffs of New Jersey's Palisades. Twice as long as any previous suspension bridge, it was the marvel of its time and, to some, it will always be the noblest of all bridges. Spanning the river to link New York City and New Jersey had challenged planners and engineers for over 100 years before Othmar Ammann, the brilliant, Swiss-born architect and engineer, proposed a bridge design in 1923 that ultimately was chosen above all others.
The George Washington Bridge was first opened to traffic in 1931. During the first full year of operation in 1932 more than 5.5 million vehicles used the original six-lane roadway. As traffic demand increased, additional construction became necessary. The two center lanes of the bridge, which had been left unpaved in the original construction, were opened to traffic in 1946, increasing capacity of the bridge by one-third. The six lanes of the lower roadway were completed in 1962.
The GWB remains structurally sound and vital today due to the Port Authority’s commitment to ongoing maintenance and investment to address the wear-and-tear and renewal of this 85-year-old crossing. Every year, more than 50 million eastbound automobiles, buses, and trucks travel across the bridge, making it the busiest bridge in the world. Now under construction are bike and walkway lanes (separated from the vehicles) on both sides of the bridge.