George Washington Bridge restoration reaches major milestone in $2 billion project
A $2 billion project to restore the 94-year-old George Washington Bridge reached a major milestone on Thursday as the last of 592 vertical steel suspension ropes connecting the main cables to the roadway decks was replaced.
To show the "Restoring the George" program's progress, Ken Tripaldi, senior engineer of construction for the bridge connecting New York and New Jersey over the Hudson River, took CBS News New York up the steep and wobbly staircase along the main cables.
"The main cables are the backbone of the structure. The whole structure is hung from these," Tripaldi said. "It has six wired, twisted ropes, 37 strands each, with a center core. It's just under 3 inches in diameter and weighs approximately 15 pounds per foot."
Last summer marked the entire restoration project's halfway point.
"We've essentially rebuilt the bridge"
The suspension rope replacements started in 2018, marking the first time any had ever been replaced. There's hope the new steel ropes will last another 100 years.
"We've essentially rebuilt the bridge, while not closing down traffic. And the whole point of that is to extend the bridge by another century, the life of it," said Andrew Frisvold, chief of construction for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Frisvold said replacing the steel suspension ropes was the most expensive part of "Restoring the George," adding the sidewalks are also being replaced and widened. The main cables were also rehabilitated.
Restoring the George
Tyler Boisvert, whose father is part of the crew preserving the bridge, brought his son, Cillian, to watch Thursday's milestone from the New Jersey side.
"As an Irish immigrant and a construction worker coming over to the United States, I think it's a proud history. And I'd like to make sure that he understands it. I'd like to make sure my daughter, who's less than 10 days old, understands it," Boisvert said.
With the suspender ropes now replaced, the Port Authority expects to finish the south sidewalk and open the path by 2026.