George Washington Bridge

The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge over the Hudson River. It connects part of New York City, New York to Fort Lee, New Jersey. It is 4,750 feet (1,450 meters) long. It was designed by Othmar H. Ammann. Building began on October 21, 1927. The bridge was opened on October 25, 1931. It cost $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 feet (1,067 meters) long. It is 119 feet (36 meters) wide. It is suspended by four cables. Each cable weighs 28,450 tons and is made from 26,474 individual wires. The total length of all the wire in the four cables is 107,000 miles (172,200 kilometres). Ammann chose the location for the bridge because the river was narrower at this point. The banks on either side were high. That meant the bridge could be tall enough for ships to pass underneath, without having to build long rising bridge approaches. References Other websites Media related to George Washington Bridge at Wikimedia Commons