George Washington Bridge
| George Washington Bridge | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Other name(s) | The GWB, The GW, & The George |
| Carries | 14 lanes (8 upper level, 6 lower level) of I-95/US 1/US 9, people and bicycles |
| Crosses | Hudson River |
| Locale | Fort Lee, New Jersey and Manhattan in New York City |
| Maintained by | Port Authority of New York and New Jersey |
| Designer | Othmar Ammann, Cass Gilbert |
| Design | Double-decked Suspension bridge |
| Material | Steel |
| Total length | 4,760 ft (1,450 m)[1] |
| Width | 119 ft (36 m)[1] |
| Height | 604 ft (184 m)[1] |
| Longest span | 3,500 ft (1,100 m)[2] |
| Vertical clearance | 14 ft (4.3 m) (upper level), 13.5 ft (4.1 m) (lower level) |
| Clearance below | 212 ft (65 m) at mid-span[1] |
| AADT | 289,329 (2008)[3] |
| Beginning date of construction | October 1927 |
| Opened | October 24, 1931 (upper level) August 29, 1962 (lower level) |
| Toll | Eastbound only. Cars ($8 peak, $6 off-peak with E-ZPass) $2 in a carpool with 3 people or more (EZ-Pass cars only) |
| Coordinates | 40°51′06″N 73°57′09″W / 40.851589°N 73.952483°WCoordinates: 40°51′06″N 73°57′09″W / 40.851589°N 73.952483°W |
The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Hudson River, that connects part of New York City, New York to Fort Lee, New Jersey. It is 4,750 feet (1584 meters) long and was designed by Othmar H. Ammann. Building began on October 21 1927, and it was opened on October 25, 1931, at a cost of $59 million. [4] A second level was added below the main level and opened to traffic on August 29, 1962.[4]
The main span of the bridge is 3,500 ft (1,067 m) and it is 119 ft (36 m) wide.[4] It is suspended by four cables, each cable weighing 28,450 tons, and each is made from 26,474 individual wires. The total length of all the wire in the four cables is 107,000 mi (172,200 km).[4]
Ammann chose the site for the bridge because the river was narrower at this point. The banks on either side were high, which meant the bridge could be tall enough for ships to pass underneath, without having to build long rising bridge approaches.[4]
References [change]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Facts & Info - George Washington Bridge". Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. http://www.panynj.gov/bridges-tunnels/gwb-facts-info.html. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
- ↑ "George Washington Bridge". ASCE Metropolitan Section. http://www.ascemetsection.org/content/view/342/876/. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
- ↑ "2008 NYSDOT Traffic Data Report". New York State Department of Transportation. Appendix C. https://www.nysdot.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/hds-respository/NYSDOT_TDR_Appendix_C.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-27.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "George Washington Bridge". Roads of NYC. Eastern Roads. http://www.nycroads.com/crossings/george-washington/. Retrieved 2009-12-05.
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