Port Authority of New York and New Jersey update on the $2 billion 11-project Restoring the George repair and rehabilitation program

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey today provided an update on the $2 billion 11-project Restoring the George repair and rehabilitation program to renew the world’s busiest vehicular bridge. The agency announced that the project to replace every one of the George Washington Bridge’s original steel suspender ropes is more than 95 percent complete, with just two dozen of the 592 ropes left to be replaced.

The replacement of all 592 ropes that suspend from the bridge’s four main cables and hold up the bridge’s two roadway levels is the largest and most impactful project of the agency’s $2 billion Restoring the George program to rehabilitate, repair or replace major components of the world’s busiest vehicular bridge. The replacement of every suspender rope and the rehabilitation of the bridge’s four main cables are essential to the bridge’s state of good repair. As the New York and New Jersey region’s primary Hudson River crossing for large commercial trucks, the bridge is a crucial link in the regional interstate highway network.  

The suspender rope replacement project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, includes the construction of a newly built sidewalk on the bridge’s south side to improve safety and accessibility while increasing capacity for path users by separating pedestrians on the south sidewalk once completed and bicyclists on the existing north sidewalk.

Work to replace the bridge’s original steel suspender ropes began in September 2018 on the bridge’s north side. The painstaking process of inspecting and cleaning the main cables, as well as the replacement of each steel suspender rope on the bridge’s north side, was completed in 2022.  Once new suspender ropes were in place and the main cable rehabilitation was complete, hi-tech acoustical monitoring and dehumidification systems were installed on the main cables.

“The upkeep of the world’s busiest bridge requires constant vigilance and major investment to ensure the George Washington Bridge can safely and reliably connect people and commerce at the center of this region’s economic engine,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Our Restoring the George program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on the feat of engineering that connected the region 93 years ago, and to adapt the bridge to new and modern ways of commuting and sharing use beyond its original design.”

“Our $2 billion Restoring the George program to overhaul the George Washington Bridge is essential to its future and continued ability to connect the region,” said Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton. “For the first time since this 93-year-old bridge was built, we are replacing or upgrading its original major components with modern technology and best-in-class materials. As the stewards of this critical link in our regional transportation network, we are investing billions of dollars and applying top industry engineering expertise to ensure the George Washington Bridge can safely serve the region for another hundred years.”

Replacement of the bridge’s original north side steel suspender ropes and associated closure of the path below the cables created an opportunity for the Port Authority to overhaul the north side’s pedestrian path. From 2018 to 2023, the Port Authority replaced the north side’s steel suspender ropes while also building a new 1.5-mile-long sidewalk. The renovation of the northside path widened known chokepoints around the bridge’s towers, added enhanced security and safety features, and replaced 171 access steps with gentler sloping, widened accessible approach paths to allow seamless connection from adjacent city streets. Those stairs had previously inhibited direct bike access and prevented users with mobility challenges from reaching the span. The new widened accessible approach paths were built from street level to the bridge main span to provide much easier and more convenient access for bicyclists and pedestrians as well as to meet modern accessibility standards with grades that do not exceed 5 percent.

The newly renovated and fully accessible northern sidewalk of the George Washington Bridge opened in February 2023, allowing bistate access for bicyclists, pedestrians, and users with mobility challenges. The new north walk also featured two new open-air viewing platforms, known architecturally as belvederes, to provide a meeting or resting space for bicyclists, pedestrians, and tourists; on the New York side, one offers expansive uninterrupted views of the Hudson River and the Palisades, and on the New Jersey side, the belvedere provides head-on views of the bridge’s upper level and New Jersey tower.

Since the closure of the south sidewalk in February 2023 for similar work to the steel suspender ropes above and sidewalk improvements, the Port Authority has reached 35 percent completion of the new sidewalk on the bridge span. The entire new southside sidewalk will include a new crosswalk at Hudson Terrace, a spacious entry plaza, a 14-foot-wide accessible ramp onto the bridge and a viewing platform similar to those installed on the north sidewalk. Work on the south sidewalk is currently scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. Once the south walk’s construction is complete, bicyclists and pedestrians will each use separate walkways. Pedestrians will have dedicated use of the south sidewalk, while bicyclists will exclusively use the north sidewalk.  

The other projects in the Restoring the George program include: 

• The rehabilitation of steel main cable strands in the bridge’s New York and New Jersey anchorages (completed in 2017) 

• The pavement rehabilitation of the lower level’s eastbound roadway on the main span and access roads (completed in 2016) 

• Replacement of the Palisades Interstate Parkway helix ramp and rehabilitation of the upper-level roadway over Hudson Terrace and the New Jersey anchorage (completed in 2020) 

• Rehabilitation of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway’s median barrier and water system, and repair of concrete fire-proofing encasement on steel columns (ongoing) 

• Rehabilitation of the 178^th and 179th street ramps, bus ramps and bus turnaround, and construction of new street-level sidewalks on Cabrini Boulevard to the New York anchorage (ongoing) 

• Replacement of roadway finger joints and 32 deck panels at the two towers (ongoing) 

• Rehabilitation of upper-level eastbound roadway pavement (ongoing) 

• Rehabilitation of existing piers and abutments on the Center Avenue and Lemoine Avenue bridges (ongoing) 

• Rehabilitation of lower-level steel, paint removal and replacement of movable maintenance platforms (ongoing) 

• Rehabilitation or replacement of components of the Fort Washington Avenue, Broadway, Wadsworth Avenue, St. Nicholas Avenue, Audubon Avenue, and Amsterdam Avenue bridges over the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (yet to begin)