George Washington Bridge

The George Washington Bridge is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting Fort Lee in Bergen County, New Jersey, with the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is named after George Washington, a Founding Father of the United States and the country's first president. The George Washington Bridge is the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, and is the world's only suspension bridge with 14 vehicular lanes. The George Washington Bridge measures long, and its main span is long. It was the longest main bridge span in the world from its 1931 opening until the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco opened in 1937.

The bridge is informally known as the GW Bridge, the GWB, the GW, or the George, and was known as the Fort Lee Bridge or Hudson River Bridge during construction. It is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state government agency that operates infrastructure in the Port of New York and New Jersey. The George Washington Bridge is an important travel corridor within the New York metropolitan area. It has an upper level that carries four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction, for a total of 14 lanes of travel. The speed limit on the bridge is . The bridge's upper level also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic. Interstate 95 (I-95) and U.S. Route 1/9 (US 1/9, composed of US 1 and US 9) cross the river via the bridge. U.S. Route 46 (US 46), which lies entirely within New Jersey, terminates halfway across the bridge at the state border with New York. At its eastern terminus in New York City, the bridge continues onto the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (part of I-95, connecting to the Cross Bronx Expressway).

The idea of a bridge across the Hudson River was first proposed in 1906, but it was not until 1925 that the state legislatures of New York and New Jersey voted to allow for the planning and construction of such a bridge. Construction on the George Washington Bridge started in September 1927; the bridge was ceremonially dedicated on October 24, 1931, and opened to traffic the next day. The opening of the George Washington Bridge contributed to the development of Bergen County, New Jersey, in which Fort Lee is located. The upper deck was widened from six to eight lanes in 1946. The six-lane lower deck was constructed beneath the existing span from 1959 to 1962 because of increasing traffic.

Design

The George Washington Bridge was designed by chief civil engineer Othmar Ammann, 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. Although the lower level was part of the original plans for the bridge, it did not open until August 29, 1962. 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".thumb|[[Manhattan-bound traffic on the upper deck of the bridge|left]]There are two sidewalks on the upper span of the bridge, one on each side. The northern sidewalk was largely closed after the September 11 attacks; 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. 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. , the northern sidewalk is closed at night.

The George Washington Bridge has a total length of , while its main span is long. Accounting for the height of the lower deck, the bridge stretches above mean high water at its center, 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 of the previous recordholder, the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. 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, but the bridge's completion proved that longer suspension bridges were both physically and economically feasible.

The George Washington Bridge's total width is . Stiffening trusses were ultimately excluded from the George Washington Bridge's design to save money; instead, a system of plate girders was installed under 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.

Cables

thumb|Detail of main cables in New Jersey anchorage

Four -diameter main cables support the bridge deck. Each main cable contained 61 strands of wire rope, 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.

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 side.

The original design called for the towers to be encased in concrete and granite in a Revival style, similar to the Brooklyn Bridge. Elevators to carry sightseers to restaurants and observatory proposed decks at the top of each tower were also all pared from the design. Even though the steel towers had been left that way for cost reasons, some aesthetic critiques of the bare steel towers were favorable.

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. 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." it is hoisted on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.

By the end of the 19th century there were more than 200 separate municipalities along the lower Hudson River and the New York Bay, with no unified agency to control commerce or transport in the area and no fixed crossing. The first was proposed in 1888 by civil engineer Gustav Lindenthal, who later became New York City's bridge commissioner. The Hudson and Manhattan Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad opened three pairs of tubes under the lower Hudson in the 1900s. The first vehicular crossing across the lower Hudson River, the Holland Tunnel, was opened in 1927, connecting Lower Manhattan with Jersey City.

Planning

thumb|upright=1.1|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. Three possible locations for a suspension bridge were considered in the vicinity of 57th, 110th, and 179th Streets in Manhattan, with others rejected on the grounds of aesthetics, geography, or traffic flows. 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. 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. In January 1924, the New York State Chamber of Commerce voted against the 57th Street location in favor of another upstream. Despite this, Lindenthal proposed that a bridge be built there, and carry 16 railroad tracks and 12 lanes of automotive traffic.

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. 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. 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. 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.

A New Jersey state assemblyman introduced a bill for the Hudson River bridge that December. This bill was passed in the New Jersey Assembly in February 1925. After an initial rejection by Silzer, the Assembly made modifications before passing the bill again in March, after which Silzer signed the bill. Around the same time, the New York state legislature was also considering a similar bill. 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. 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. Ultimately, the Hudson River bridge bill was passed in the New York state legislature, and Smith approved the bill that April.

thumb|upright=1.1|left|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 when it passed between Fort Lee and Fort Washington. The ledges of Fort Lee and Fort Washington were respectively 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. The same month, the New Jersey legislature asked for funds for test bores to determine if the geological strata would support the bridge.

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. 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. Othmar Ammann was hired as the bridge's chief engineer. 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.

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. 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 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 tall. There would also be space to build a second deck in the future below the main deck. 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. Ammann's research department constructed scale models of various designs for the bridge and tested them in wind tunnels.

By late 1926, one engineer predicted that construction on the Hudson River bridge would start the following summer. In December 1926, the final plans for the bridge were approved by the public and by the War Department. The Port Authority planned to sell off $50million worth of bonds to pay for the bridge, and the initial $20million bond issue was sold that December. 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. Afterward, the then-current New Jersey governor A. Harry Moore worked with legislators to revise the legislation. 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.

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. The construction process was relatively safe, although twelve or thirteen workers died during its construction. 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.

First contracts

left|thumb|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. The Manhattan suspension anchorage's location was still undecided at this time. A bid for the New Jersey tower was awarded later that month. In May, the Port Authority opened more bids for the construction of the bridge's approaches and anchorage on the New Jersey side. Dredging operations on the Hudson River, which would allow large ships to pass underneath the bridge, also started that May. By late August, the Port Authority had started condemning plots of land for the bridge's approaches.

Montgomery B. Case, the bridge's chief construction engineer, began construction on the Hudson River bridge on September 21, 1927, with groundbreaking ceremonies held at the sites of both future suspension towers. Each tower was to have a base with a perimeter measuring , 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.

Towers and anchorages

thumb|upright=1.1|The Manhattan suspension tower, seen from below

Bids for the Manhattan suspension tower were advertised in March 1928. 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. In May 1928, builders started drilling a cut through the Palisades on the New Jersey side so that the Hudson River bridge approach could be built. By June 1928, half of the money earned during the previous year's $20million bond sale had been spent on construction. 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 , and the tower on the New York side was progressing as well. The suspension towers consisted of 13 segments, each of which were almost 50 feet high.

In April, the Port Authority acquired the last of the properties that were in the path of the bridge's Manhattan approach. 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. 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. The same month, the Port Authority sold the final $30million in bonds to pay for the bridge.

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, a type of intersection design that was being built around New Jersey during the 1920s and 1930s. However, the revised plans called for a grade-separated highway approach that would connect to a traffic "distributing basin" with ramps to nearby highways.

Cable spinning

left|thumb|A close up view of a vertical [[Suspension_bridge#Suspension_cable_types|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. The two temporary catwalks allowed workers to spin the wires for the main cables on-site. 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. A total of 105,986 wires were used in the bridge when it was completed. By April, the spinning of the main cables was half complete. The first main cable was completed in late July 1930, and the other three main cables were completed that August, with the laying of the last wire being marked by a ceremony. The spinning of the main cables had taken ten months in total.

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 of the deck's weight, though the cables would be strong enough to carry , four times as much weight. 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. The tunnel contracts were awarded later that month. Bids for the Riverside Drive connection were received the following month.

Prior to and during construction, the bridge was unofficially known as the "Hudson River Bridge" or "Fort Lee Bridge". According to ballot voting submitted to the Port Authority, the "Hudson River Bridge" name was the most popular choice. 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". 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. 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. 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. Hundreds of naming choices had been submitted by this time. The most popular naming choices were those of Washington, Christopher Columbus, and Hudson River namesake Henry Hudson. The span was again officially named for George Washington in April 1931. 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".

thumb|View of the bridge looking north from [[Edgewater, New Jersey, early 1931]]

The system of girders to support the deck was installed throughout 1930, and the last girder was installed in late December 1930. 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. 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. In June 1931, forty bankers became the first people to cross the bridge.

Work was progressing quickly on the bridge approaches in New Jersey, 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. Bids for constructing tollbooths and floodlight towers were opened in July 1931.

1930s to mid-1950s

thumb|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. 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. Pedestrians paid a toll of 10 cents each, which was lowered to 5 cents in 1934. 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). and the bridge was expected to carry eight million vehicles and 1.5million pedestrians in its first year. 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. 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. 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. A week after the bridge opened, the 10-lane tollbooth was expanded to 14 lanes because of heavy weekend traffic volumes. During its first year, the George Washington Bridge saw 5.5million vehicular crossings and nearly 500,000 pedestrian crossings. 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 72million vehicles total, including a record 9.1million vehicles in 1940.

On February 22, 1932, George Washington's 200th birthday, the Port Authority planted 70 red oak trees along an approach to the bridge. New Jersey Route 4, which connected directly to the bridge's western end, opened in July 1932. The 178th–179th Street Tunnels, which connected Amsterdam Avenue on the eastern side of Manhattan to the bridge's eastern end on the west side of Manhattan, were supposed to be completed in late 1932. Direct approaches to Riverside Drive and the Hudson River Parkway were completed in 1937, and the tunnels were completed in 1938–1939. A ramp eastward from the bridge and southward to the Harlem River Drive was also completed around this time. The bridge's westbound entrance ramp from Fort Washington Avenue, at the top of the cliff on the Manhattan side, opened in April 1939; another approach in New Jersey had opened by July 1939. In May 1935, a court ruled that the New Jersey and New York governments controlled their respective sides of the bridge.

The bridge was initially lit by 200 lights to provide warning to pilots flying at night. The Port Authority enacted a photography ban during World War II in the 1940s. An aviation obstruction light was installed in 1936 as a memorial to Will Rogers. Additionally, from May 1942 to May 1945, the lights on the bridge were shut off at night as a precautionary measure. After the war ended, the lights were turned back on, but the photography ban was upheld. In August 1946, the bridge's towers were repainted. The underside of the bridge was also repainted in May of the following year.

Originally, the George Washington Bridge's deck consisted of six lanes, with an unpaved center median. In 1946, the median was paved over and two more lanes were created on the upper level, widening it from six lanes to eight lanes. New ramps onto the Henry Hudson Parkway were opened in late 1953, followed by the ramps with the Palisades Interstate Parkway in December 1954. In addition, the barrier system on the bridge was adjusted in mid-1954, and new navigational signs were added to assist motorists. In 1955, the lighting system on the deck was replaced.

Mid 1950s to mid-1960s: lower level and Approach modernization

Construction of the 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. A Bergen County leader voted against the construction of the lower level in 1956, temporarily delaying construction plans. The New York City Planning Commission approved the George Washington Bridge improvement in June 1957, and the Port Authority allocated funds to the improvement that July. The $183million 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.

Construction of the approaches started in September 1958. but work was briefly halted later that year because of a lack of steel. 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. The layer of concrete measured thick. The lower deck was opened to the public on August 29, 1962. increased the capacity of the bridge by 75 percent, and simultaneously made the George Washington Bridge the world's only 14-lane suspension bridge. 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 . 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. In the first year after the lower level's opening, the expanded bridge had carried 44million vehicles. By comparison, 35.86million 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 repaired the upper level for the first time in the bridge's history.

Mid-1960s to 2000s

In preparation for the 1964 New York World's Fair, the addition of lighting on the bridge's suspender ropes was completed in April of that year. A fixed median was added to the upper level in 1970; the concrete barrier was destroyed to allow for such. Because of this, in 1977, the Port Authority began a project to replace the deck. The original was removed, and the new deck, which was constructed in prefabricated sections, was placed over it. As part of the project, the upper level was restricted to four lanes; the upper-level lanes carried two-way traffic during off-peak hours. The PANYNJ encouraged traffic to use the lower level due to this. It was completed in October 1978, a few weeks ahead of schedule. Two police officers eventually plugged the leak with an inexpensive device. Up to that point, trucks carrying flammable material had been allowed to use the George Washington Bridge. After the incident, New York City officials conducted a study on whether to prohibit hazardous cargo from traveling through the city. As a direct result, any truck carrying flammable gas were banned from the lower level.

The bridge was carrying 82.8million vehicles per year by 1980. The north sidewalk was rebuilt from November 1983 to late 1985, and the south sidewalk was also reconstructed from February 1984 to early 1986. The project cost $9 million.

Rehabilitation of the upper level's expansion joints took place in 1988, and a rehabilitation of the lower level was announced two years later. The ramps on the New York side, connecting with Riverside Drive and the Henry Hudson Parkway, were reconstructed for $27.6million after studies in the late 1980s showed deterioration on these ramps. Although the Port Authority had announced the repairs in advance, the start of roadwork in September 1990 caused extensive traffic jams. The upper level was repaved in 1995, an inspection in 1997 found that 440 vertical suspender ropes at the New York anchorage had corroded, so these were replaced.

2000s to present

upright=1.1|thumb|George Washington Bridge seen from [[Castle Village, shrouded in winter fog in December 2013]]

Workers started rehabilitating about of approach ramps in 1999; the project was finished in May 2001 and cost $38 million. The Port Authority also proposed a ramp from the lower level to the Palisades Interstate Parkway on the New Jersey side in 2000. The ramp would have cost $86.5million and would have been completed in 2003 or 2004, but the connection was ultimately not built. 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. On each tower are a mix of 150 and 1000 watt metal halide lamp fixtures. The architectural lighting design was completed by Domingo Gonzalez Associates.

The northern sidewalk was closed after the September 11 attacks because of security concerns. to avoid severe damage from a potential car bombing. In 2002, the Port Authority began to repaint the towers and the underside of the upper deck. The old lead-based paint was replaced with lead-free paint. In September 2007, the Port Authority announced that the suspender lighting was to be replaced by new energy-efficient diodes. This project was completed in 2009.

Following 15 reported suicides and 68 failed suicides in 2017, the Port Authority installed protective netting and an fence along each upper level sidewalk. The netting partially overhangs the sidewalks in order to prevent potential jumpers from scaling the fence directly. In August 2013, repair crews began an $82 million effort to fix cracks in the upper deck's structural steel. Work restarted in June 2014 after a pause lasting several months. The Port Authority also started a $2 billion project to renovate or replace bridge components. On the New Jersey side, the Palisades Interstate Parkway "Helix" ramp onto the bridge would be replaced at a cost of $112.6million; this was completed in March 2019.

The northern sidewalk reopened in early 2023, after the suspender ropes on that side had been replaced. The suspender cable replacements were almost finished by December 2024, and all of the 592 suspender cables had been replaced by March 2025. The National Transportation Safety Board also recommended in early 2025 that the bridge undergo a structural vulnerability assessment, following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse in Maryland the previous year.

Road connections

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; however, a ramp to link the Interstate Parkway to the lower level was proposed in 2000. 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 ).

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 deemed not feasible as a result of the congestion that the weaving movements would create. 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. Both tunnels are operated by the Port Authority, which collects tolls from drivers crossing the Hudson River eastbound toward New York City. 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. while the Port Authority collects tolls for the other three bridges to Staten Island. The Tappan Zee Bridge also charges tolls for eastbound drivers. Even farther north is the Bear Mountain Bridge, carrying U.S. 6 and U.S. 202, about north of the Tappan Zee Bridge; it also charges tolls for eastbound drivers.

Tolls

, the toll going from New Jersey to New York City is $23.30 for cars and motorcycles with toll-by-plate or E-ZPasses issued by agencies outside of New York and New Jersey. New Jersey and New York–issued E-ZPass users are charged $14.79 for cars and $13.79 for motorcycles during off-peak hours, and $16.79 for cars and $15.79 for motorcycles during peak hours. E-ZPass Mid-Tier users are charged $19.55 for cars and $19.05 for motorcycles. There is no toll for passenger vehicles going from New York City to New Jersey.

thumb|left|The upper-level toll plaza with heavy traffic congestion

Originally, tolls were collected in both directions. The original toll booth on the New Jersey side was designed by Gilbert, who also designed a classical-style maintenance booth, neither of which is extant. In August 1970, the toll was abolished for westbound drivers, and at the same time, eastbound drivers saw their tolls doubled. The tolls of eleven other New York–New Jersey and Hudson River crossings along a stretch, from the Outerbridge Crossing in the south to the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north, were also changed to south- or eastbound-only at that time. There were a series of tollbooths on the New Jersey side. The bridge had 29 toll lanes: 12 in the main upper-level toll plaza, 10 in the lower-level toll plaza, and seven in the Palisades Interstate Parkway toll plaza leading to the upper level. E-ZPass was accepted for toll payment on the George Washington Bridge starting in July 1997. In 2000, the Port Authority proposed removing the tollbooths for the E-ZPass lanes on the lower level and Palisades Parkway toll plazas, replacing them with electronic toll collection gantries to allow motorists to maintain highway speeds. The Palisades Parkway toll plaza began operating overnight in April 2001, though only E-ZPass users could use the toll plaza from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. on weekends.

Pedestrians and cyclists may cross free of charge on the south sidewalk. Pedestrians traveling in either direction originally paid tolls of 10 cents when the bridge opened. and discontinued altogether in 1940.

Open road tolling was implemented for drivers going from Palisades Interstate Parkway on February 2, 2020, on the lower level on November 7, 2020, and on the upper level on July 10, 2022. The tollbooths have been dismantled, and drivers can no longer pay cash at the bridge. Instead, cameras are mounted onto new overhead gantries on the New Jersey side going to New York. A vehicle without E-ZPass has a picture taken of its license plate and a bill for the toll mailed to its owner. For E-ZPass users, sensors detect their transponders wirelessly. In March 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all-electronic tolling was temporarily placed in effect for all Port Authority crossings, including the George Washington Bridge. Cash toll collection was temporarily reinstated on the upper level only from October 2020 The toll plazas were demolished starting in March 2023; the removal was expected to take two years.

Historical toll rates

{| class="wikitable sortable"

|+Historical tolls for the George Washington Bridge

! rowspan="2" scope="col" | Years !! colspan="2" scope="col" | Toll !! colspan="2" scope="col" | Toll equivalent<br />in !! scope="col"|Direction collected

!class=unsortable|

!Cash

!E-ZPass

!Cash

!E-ZPass

| 1931–1970

| align="right" | $0.50

| rowspan="5"

| align="center" | $–

| rowspan="5"

| each direction

| 1983–1987

|align=right| $2.00

|align=center| $–

| eastbound only

| 1987–1991

|align=right| $3.00

|align=center| $–

| eastbound only

| 1991–2001

|align=right| $4.00

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2001–2008

|align=right| $6.00

|align=right| $5.00

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2008–2011

|align=right| $8.00

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2011–2012

|align=right| $12.00

|align=right| $9.50

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2012–2014

|align=right| $13.00

|align=right| $10.25

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2014–2015

|align=right| $14.00

|align=right| $11.75

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2015–2020

|align=right| $15.00

|align=right| $12.50

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2020–2023

|align=right| $16.00

|align=right| $13.75

| align="center" | $–

| align="center" |$–

| eastbound only

| 2023–2024

|align=right| $17.00

|align=right| $14.75

| align="center" | $

| align="center" |$

| eastbound only

| 2024–2025

|align=right| $17.63

|align=right| $15.38

| align="center" | $17.63

| align="center" |$15.38

| eastbound only

| January–July 2025

|align=right| $18.31

|align=right| $16.06

| align="center" | $18.31

| align="center" |$16.06

| eastbound only

| July 2025 – January 2026

|align=right| $22.38

|align=right| $16.06

| align="center" | $22.38

| align="center" |$16.06

| eastbound only

|Since January 2026

| align="right" |$23.30

| align="right" |$16.79

| align="center" |$23.30

| align="center" |$16.79

|eastbound only

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. The Carpool Plan ended when the George Washington Bridge implemented cashless tolling. , the bike lanes are open from 5 a.m. to midnight every day.

The Port Authority closed the northern sidewalk at all times in 2001. Though it offers direct access into Palisades Interstate Park, the northern sidewalk requires stairway climbs and descents on both sides, which was inaccessible for people with physical disabilities and posed a risk in poor weather conditions. Advocacy groups such as Transportation Alternatives also suggested improvements.

As part of the project to replace the bridge's vertical support cables, the connections to both sidewalks will be enhanced or rebuilt and made ADA-compliant. While the south-side cables are being replaced, that sidewalk will be closed and the north sidewalk will be open. Once the entire project is completed in 2027, pedestrians will use the south sidewalk and cyclists will use the north sidewalk. The sidewalk aspect of the project is expected to cost $118million.

Incidents

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. The first death by jumping was unintentional and occurred before the bridge opened. On September 21, 1930, a stunt jumper named Norman J. Terry jumped off the bridge's deck in front of a crowd of thousands, and because his body was facing the wrong way, he broke his neck upon hitting the water. The first intentional suicide occurred on November 3, 1931, a little more than one week after the bridge opened.

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, said he would kill himself, but Howard Stern talked him out of it. The 2010 suicide of Tyler Clementi, who had jumped from the bridge, drew national attention to cyberbullying and the struggles facing LGBT youth.

In 2012, a record 18 people threw themselves off the bridge to their deaths, while 43 others attempted to do so but survived. 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. In 2017, the Port Authority proposed equipping a two-person Emergency Services Unit team with harnesses to prevent suicides from the bridge.

Controversies and protests

On September 9, 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. The closures were made without notification to local government officials and emergency responders. The local toll lane reductions caused massive traffic congestion, with major delays for school transportation and police and emergency service responses within Fort Lee. The lanes were reopened by the Port Authority on September 13. After a four-month investigation, it was revealed that the lane closures were made by the aides and appointees of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, causing a political scandal. The repercussions and controversy surrounding these actions have been investigated by the Port Authority, federal prosecutors, and a New Jersey legislature committee.

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.

Other incidents

thumb|left|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. At the time, there was no median barrier on the bridge's upper deck. 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.

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. However, several investigations found no evidence of a vehicle containing explosives on the bridge.

In popular culture

The bridge is seen in a number of movies set in New York:

Ball of Fire (1941) was the first film to show the bridge.
In Force of Evil (1948), Leo Morse is buried under the bridge by the mob of gangsters employing his brother Joe.
In How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), Loco and Brewster are fêted as being in the 50 millionth car to cross the bridge as part of the "George Washington Bridge Week" festivities.
In Network (1976), Schumacher tells a story in which, having overslept for a news shoot about the bridge's new lower deck, he gets into a cab wearing a raincoat over his pajamas and tells the driver to take him to the middle of the bridge. The taxi driver, concerned that Schumacher intends to jump, begs him: "Don't do it buddy! You're a young man!"
Sully (2016) reenacts how Sullenberger overflew the bridge by a few hundred feet.
In 24: Legacy (2017), the bridge is destroyed as part of a terrorist attack.
The bridge was also shown in The Godfather (1972), and Cop Land (1997).

The bridge has been featured in music. In the opening singalong for Sesame Street, Ernie sang the words "George Washington Bridge" to the tune of Sobre las Olas ("The Loveliest Night of the Year"). In addition, William Schuman's 1950 work George Washington Bridge. Nina Rosario sings "Just me and the GWB asking, 'Gee, Nina, what'll you be? in "Breathe" from In the Heights.

In visual art, the first issue of the comic Atomic War! published in November 1952, the George Washington Bridge is shown collapsing during a bombing of New York City. Additionally, painters George Ault and Valeri Larko have both created artworks named after the bridge. Video games such as Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty also showed the George Washington Bridge. In Faith Ringgold's children's picture book Tar Beach, the bridge is depicted prominently, and the narrator feels a connection to it as she looks at it from her rooftop in Harlem.

The construction of the bridge is detailed in George Washington Bridge: A Timeless Marvel and George Washington Bridge: Poetry in Steel.