George Washington Bridge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids George Washington Bridge
The bridge, looking east from Fort Lee toward Upper Manhattan.
Coordinates	40°51′07″N 73°57′07″W / 40.852°N 73.952°W / 40.852; -73.952 (George Washington Bridge)
Carries	14 lanes (8 upper deck, 6 lower deck) of I-95 (entire span) / US 1-9 (entire span) / US 46 (NJ side) Upper deck sidewalk (south side): pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Hudson River
Locale	Fort Lee, New Jersey, and New York City (Washington Heights, Manhattan), New York, United States
Other name(s)	GWB GW GW Bridge The George
Maintained by	Port Authority of New York and New Jersey
Characteristics
Design	Double-decked suspension bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	4,760 ft (1,450 m)/>
Width	119 ft (36 m)
Height	604 ft (184 m)
Longest span	3,500 ft (1,067 m)
Clearance above	14 ft (4.3 m) (upper level), 13.5 ft (4.1 m) (lower level)
Clearance below	212 ft (65 m) at mid-span
History
Designer	Othmar Ammann (chief engineer) Edward W. Stearns (assistant chief engineer) Allston Dana (design engineer) Cass Gilbert (architect) Montgomery Case (construction engineer)
Construction begin	September 21, 1927; 97 years ago (1927-09-21) (bridge construction) June 2, 1959; 65 years ago (1959-06-02) (lower level)
Opened	October 24, 1931; 93 years ago (1931-10-24) (upper level) August 29, 1962; 62 years ago (1962-08-29) (lower level)
Statistics
Daily traffic	289,827 (2016)
Toll	(Eastbound only) As of August 29, 2019: Cars $15.00 (cash) $12.50 for Peak (E-ZPass) $10.50 for Off-peak (E-ZPass) $6.50 (when carpooling with three or more people with NY and NJ E-ZPass only) $6.25 (New York or New Jersey issued E-ZPass with registered commuter plan and three or more trips into Staten Island, NY during a calendar month) (Peak hours: Weekdays: 6-10 a.m., 4-8 p.m.; Sat. & Sun.: 11 a.m.-9 p.m.)

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. A second level was added below the main level and opened to traffic on August 29, 1962. There are also walkways for pedestrians and bicyclists on the north and south sides of the bridge.

The main span of the bridge is 3,500 ft (1,067 m) long and it is 119 ft (36 m) wide. 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).

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.

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  Aerial view showing situation atop Palisades Sill

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  View of New York City and New Jersey from south walkway

Images for kids

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  The bridge, looking south at sunset from the New York side of the Hudson River

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  View of the suspension towers from the upper deck

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  The George Washington Bridge on the New Jersey side during Memorial Day

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  George Washington Bridge looking east from Fort Lee

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  The Manhattan suspension tower, seen from below

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  View of the bridge looking north from Edgewater, New Jersey, early 1931

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  The cover of the November 1931 edition of the Jester, the humor magazine at Columbia University, celebrating the opening of the George Washington Bridge

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  Lower deck

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  Ramps on the New York side, seen in 1973

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  The upper-level toll plaza with heavy traffic congestion

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  Southern sidewalk

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  The bridge seen in 1978

See also

In Spanish: Puente George Washington para niños