Time and nature can take a toll on even the sturdiest of structures, and the iconic George Washington Bridge is no exception.
With that in mind, the Port Authority launched an aggressive $1.9 billion investment at the GWB in 2015. The “Restoring the George” rehabilitation project was designed to combat wear and tear, replace aging bridge components, initiate new construction, and provide added layers of safety and ease of travel for the public.
This month, the bridge passed a key milestone in the project’s 10-year, 11-part program — installation of the 296th and final suspender rope on the north side of the bridge. North side suspension rope replacement began in September 2018 and required the effort of teams of skilled engineers and iron workers to facilitate the transformation.
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, who attended the installation of the final north side suspender rope on March 22, described it as “one of the most significant milestones to date” in the ‘Restoring the George’ construction and extensive state-of-good-repair campaign.
“I want to pay tribute to the men and women of the Port Authority and the union construction workers who deal with these monumental challenges in renovating our existing legacy infrastructure as well as building new projects,” he said. “This is one of 11 projects over a 10-year state of good repair to overhaul a 90-year-old bridge to ensure it will last at least 100 more years.”
Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton, who attended the installation of the final north side suspender rope on March 15, described it as “one of the most significant milestones to date” in the ‘Restoring the George’ construction and extensive state-of-good-repair campaign.
