George Washington Bridge

The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Hudson River, between New York City, near the northern end of Manhattan Island, and Fort Lee, New Jersey in Bergen County, New Jersey. Its chief engineer was Othmar Ammann. Construction of the bridge began in September 1927, a project of the Port of New York Authority. It was dedicated on October 24, 1931.

It had the longest main span in the world when it opened, and at 3500 feet (1067 m), nearly doubled the record, 1850 ft., which had been held by the Ambassador Bridge. (The record has since been exceeded numerous times.)

It was originally constructed with only a single deck, but a second, lower deck, which had been anticipated in its design, was added in 1962. It was also originally planned that the towers of the bridge would be encased in concrete and granite. However, due to cost and favorable aesthetic critiques of the bare steel towers, this was not done.

The bridge carries Interstate 95, United States Highway 1, and United States Highway 9 from New Jersey to New York. United States Highway 46[?] terminates at the state border in the middle of the bridge.

External Resources

• The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, http://www.panynj.gov/tbt/gwframe.HTM