The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has completed the replacement of all 592 original suspender ropes on the George Washington Bridge. This achievement marks a significant milestone in the agency's $2 billion "Restoring the George" program, which aims to rehabilitate various components of the bridge as it approaches its 100th anniversary.
Replacing these steel suspender ropes, which connect the bridge's main cables to its roadway decks, was one of the most substantial tasks within this program. The project began in 2018 while keeping the bridge operational for traffic. With this completion, both shared-use sidewalks adjacent to these connection points will be rebuilt. The north sidewalk has already reopened after its ropes were replaced, and work on the south sidewalk is expected to finish next year.
Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole remarked on this engineering accomplishment: “Replacing all 592 suspender ropes on the George Washington Bridge is a remarkable feat of engineering as we work to rehabilitate and renew nearly every major component of the world’s busiest bridge.”
Executive Director Rick Cotton emphasized the importance of this project: “The George Washington Bridge is the busiest bridge in the world and an essential link in this region’s transportation network as a critical anchor of the regional economy."
The process involved securing temporary ropes at each panel point before removing and replacing original ones, allowing continuous traffic flow during construction. Additionally, rehabilitation efforts included recoating and rewrapping main cables with new elastomeric wraps and dehumidification systems.
Upon completing construction on both sidewalks, pedestrians will have exclusive access to the south sidewalk while bicyclists will use only the north side. The north sidewalk was enhanced with accessible features and safety measures when it reopened in February 2023.
This comprehensive rehabilitation touches nearly every major component of the bridge, addressing wear from approximately 100 million vehicles annually. Projects under this initiative include past completions like main cable strand rehabilitation (2017) and ongoing works such as upper-level eastbound roadway pavement repairs.
