George Washington Bridge
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The George Washington Bridge (known informally as the GW Bridge, the GWB, or the GW) is a toll suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City to Fort Lee in New Jersey by means of Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route 9. Despite what many think, the bridge does NOT carry U.S. Route 46 over the entire river. Rather, 46 ends halfway across the bridge, at the state border, which may explain 46's abscence on many maps and possibly in the paragraphs to come. The GW is considered one of the world's busiest bridges in terms of vehicle traffic; In 2004, the bridge carried 108,404,000 vehicles, with current AADT estimates of nearly 300,000 vehicles daily. This number is similar to that of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. The GW span is currently the fourth largest suspension bridge in the U.S.
The bridge contains two levels, an upper level with four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction, for a total of 14 lanes of travel. Additionally, the bridge houses two paths on either side of the bridge for pedestrian traffic. The speed limit on the bridge is 45 mph (70 km/h), though heavy traffic is common and frequently makes it difficult to be able to reach such speeds.
History
Construction of the bridge began in September 1927, a project of the Port of New York Authority. Its chief engineer was Othmar Ammann. The bridge was dedicated on October 24, 1931, and opened to traffic the following day. Initially named the "Hudson River Bridge," the bridge is named in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. The Bridge is near the sites of Fort Washington (on the New York side) and Fort Lee (in New Jersey), which were fortified positions used by General Washington and his American forces in his unsuccessful attempt to deter the British occupation of New York City in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War. In 1910 the Washington Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution erected a stone monument to the Battle of Fort Washington. The monument is located about 100 yards northeast of the lighthouse, up the hill towards the eastern bridge anchorage.
When it opened, the bridge had the longest main span in the world; at 1,067 m (3,500 ft), it nearly doubled the previous record of 564 m (1,850 ft), which had been held by the Ambassador Bridge. (The record has since been exceeded numerous times.) The total length of the bridge is 1,451 m (4,760 ft).
As originally built, the bridge offered six lanes of traffic, but in 1946, two additional lanes were provided on what is now the upper level. A second, lower deck, which had been anticipated in Ammann's original plans was added, opening to the public on August 29, 1962. The additional deck increased the capacity of the bridge by 75 percent, making the George Washington Bridge the world's only 14-lane suspension bridge, providing eight lanes on the upper level and six on the lower deck. It was also originally planned that the towers of the bridge would be encased in concrete and granite. However, due to cost considerations during the Great Depression and favorable aesthetic critiques of the bare steel towers, this was never done. The exposed steel towers, with their distinctive criss-crossed bracing, have become one of the bridge's most identifiable characteristics.
Le Corbusier (Charles-Edouard Jeanneret) said of the unadorned steel structure, "The George Washington Bridge over the Hudson is the most beautiful bridge in the world. Made of cables and steel beams, it gleams in the sky like a reversed arch. It is blessed. It is the only seat of grace in the disordered city. It is painted an aluminum color and, between water and sky, you see nothing but the bent cord supported by two steel towers. When your car moves up the ramp the two towers rise so high that it brings you happiness; their structure is so pure, so resolute, so regular that here, finally, steel architecture seems to laugh. The car reaches an unexpectedly wide apron; the second tower is very far away; innumerable vertical cables, gleaming against the sky, are suspended from the magisterial curve which swings down and then up. The rose-colored towers of New York appear, a vision whose harshness is mitigated by distance." (When the Cathedrals were White", 1947.)
Following the September 11th attacks on New York and Washington, the government prohibited people from taking photographs on the premises of the bridge due to the fear that terrorist groups might study any potential photographs in order to plot a terrorist attack on the bridge.
The George Washington Bridge is home to the world's largest free-flying American flag. The flag, located under the upper arch of the New Jersey tower, drapes vertically for 90 feet (27 m). The flag's stripes are about 5 feet (1.5 m) wide and the stars measure about 4 feet (1.2 m) in diameter. Weather permitting, the flag is flown on the following eight holidays: Martin Luther King Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.
Road connections
The George Washington Bridge carries I-95, US-1, and US-9 between New Jersey and New York. US-46 terminates at the state border in the middle of the bridge. I-80 and NJ-4 also feed into the bridge but end before reaching it. On the New Jersey side of the Bridge, the Palisades Interstate Parkway connects directly to the bridge's upper level, there were plans to give direct access to the lower level from the parkway but the plan has been postponed.
On the New York side, the twelve-lane Trans-Manhattan Expressway heads east across the narrow neck of upper Manhattan, from the bridge to the Harlem River, providing access from both decks to 178th Street, the Henry Hudson Parkway and Riverside Drive on the West Side of Manhattan, and to Amsterdam Avenue and the Harlem River Drive on the East Side. The Expressway connects directly with the Alexander Hamilton Bridge, which spans the Harlem River as part of the Cross-Bronx Expressway (I-95), providing access to the Major Deegan Expressway (I-87). Heading towards New Jersey, local access to the Bridge is available from 179th Street. There are also ramps connecting the bridge to the George Washington Bridge Bus Station, a commuter bus terminal with direct access to the subway at the 175th Street Station on the A line.
Current tolls for cars are $6, $5 peak hours with E-ZPass, $4 off-peak. Current tolls for motorcycles are $5, $4 peak hours with E-ZPass, $3 off-peak. Trucks are charged $6 per axle. The toll is only charged one way (into New York), which is how all Hudson River crossings from the Tappan Zee Bridge south are tolled. Foot traffic and cyclists cross for free on sidewalks, one on each side of the upper deck, offering spectacular views of the Hudson River, the Manhattan skyline and the New Jersey Palisades. Pedestrians had to pay tolls of 10 cents shortly after the bridge opened, but non-motorized traffic is no longer tolled. The George Washington Bridge takes in approximately $1 million per day in tolls.
Non-Vehicular access
The George Washington Bridge is also popular among sightseers and commuters traveling by foot, bicycle, or roller skates. Normally the North sidewalk is for pedestrians only, and the South sidewalk (accessible by a long, steep ramp on the Manhattan side of the bridge) is shared by bicyclists and pedestrians. The South sidewalk, while requiring a climb / descent of the ramp on the New York side, offers the easiest access for bicyclists, with a level surface from end to end. The North sidewalk requires stairway climbs and descents on both sides, always an inconvenience, and a greater risk in poor weather conditions.From September 12, 2005 through summer 2006, bicycle and pedestrian access to the George Washington Bridge is being affected by Port Authority construction. Currently, the North sidewalk is closed for construction and the South sidewalk is open from 6:00 AM to midnight for both pedestrians and bicyclists until 6/18/2006. Beginning on June 19, 2006 the North sidewalk will open from 6:00 AM to midnight and the South sidewalk will be closed at all times. For up to date information, see [Latest update on pedestrian / bicycle access].
Transportation Alternatives, a New York City advocacy group, has proposed an enhanced River Road connector in Fort Lee, which would create safer pedestrian and bicycle access to the George Washington Bridge on the New Jersey side of the bridge. Details may be found at [link].
The GW in popular culture
- The GWB's first movie appearance was in Ball of Fire (1941), and it subsequently appeared in How to Marry a Millionaire, The In-Laws, Desperately Seeking Susan and Manhattan Murder Mystery. The bridge features prominently in the 1997 movie Cop Land, its lower deck serving as a site for an important early scene and the entire bridge acting as a symbolic barrier between Manhattan and the small towns across the river in New Jersey.
- Harry Belafonte encounters the bridge choked with abandoned cars in The World, the Flesh and the Devil.
- The bridge's construction is featured in the 1942 children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Hildegarde Swift and illustrated by Lynd Ward (ISBN 0152045716). In the book, a small lighthouse on the Manhattan shore fears it will be overshadowed and rendered useless by the bridge's tall towers and bright lights -- but is reassured that the bridge's lights are for airplanes, not ships. The lighthouse is currently owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.
- An episode of I Love Lucy concludes with the show's four main cast members beginning a motor trip from New York City to Hollywood, while driving across the George Washington Bridge and singing California, Here I Come.
- The bridge was featured in the Amazing Spider-Man comic books (issue #121) when Spider-Man's girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, is kidnapped and held at the bridge by the Green Goblin. However, the artwork in the comic book is of the Brooklyn Bridge. Further confusing things is that a similar scene in the 2002 Spider-Man movie, when the Goblin holds Mary Jane Watson hostage, takes place on the Queensboro Bridge.
- The bridge also appeared in the X-Men film as the team approaches the Statue of Liberty.
- In the video game [[Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty]], the bridge is featured in the opening sequence when Solid Snake jumps off the bridge onto a passing tanker.
- American composer William Schuman wrote The George Washington Bridge for concert band in 1950.
- The GWB appears in Stephen King's Dark Tower books, both in New York and the city of Lud.
- In 2005, a drug bust occurred after a truck driver made the mistake of using the lower deck (which disallows trucks), causing him to be stopped by police, who then found the marijuana that the truck was carrying.
- In Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, the main character and her family drive across the bridge as they relocate from Manhattan to New Jersey.
- On The Cosby Show, Cliff anticipates his daughter Sondra's moving out of the house, and says to help her leave, he would, "CRAWL across the George Washington Bridge..."
- Babylon Rising: The Europa Conspiracy, By Tim Lahaye includes a fictional plot to detonate a dirty bomb over the George Washington Bridge.
External links
- [The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, (official site)]
- [NYCRoads.com: George Washington Bridge]
- [George Washington Bridge Webcam]
- [Fort Lee Online]
- [Library of Congress] "Local Legacies"
- [Official site of Transportation Alternatives, New York]
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