Wednesday, February 15, 2023 – A WAY TO CROSS THE BRIDGE AND NOT PAY THE TOLL

By admin

FROM THE ARCHIVES

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2023


ISSUE 914

Renovated pedestrian

and

bike path opens on north side of

George Washington Bridge

6SQFT

All photos courtesy of PANYNJ

The pedestrian and bike path on the north side of the George Washington Bridge opened on Tuesday following a renovation and accessibility upgrades. The project, led by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, included widening approach paths, bigger entry plazas, and removing stairs that prevented access to cyclists and users with mobility challenges. The upgraded north walk also features two new viewing platforms, one on the New York side and one on the New Jersey side.

Improvements to the bridge fall under a $2 billion “Restoring the George” program which includes nearly a dozen structural repair projects on the 96-year-old bridge. As part of the project, the bridge’s original steel suspender ropes will be replaced for the first time in its history.

As part of the work, the Port Authority built a new plaza at the entry of the bridge’s northern path on West 180th Street and Cabrini Boulevard in Washington Heights that leads onto the new curving onramp. The new plaza and onramp have replaced the 171 steps travelers had to climb to get onto the bridge.

The revamped entrances also have new lighting, signs, surveillance cameras, and higher fencing. A new set of viewing platforms on either end of the bridge allows for impressive views of the Hudson River and the Palisades.

While the new onramps are ADA-compliant and give cyclists and pedestrians more space to get onto the bridge, the actual width of the shared lane is the same as it was before the construction project, according to Streetsblog.

Starting this Wednesday, the southern path of the bridge will close for similar renovations, projected to take roughly four years to complete. Once those repairs are finished, pedestrian traffic will move to the south side and cyclists will stay on the north side, according to Ken Sagrestano, the Port Authority’s general manager for the George Washington Bridge.

As Streetsblog reported, the revamp project doesn’t address the narrow promenade on the bridge’s south path which is said by locals to cause a large number of crashes involving walkers, runners, and cyclists. Despite calls from advocates, community members, and local politicians, widening the bridge’s bike paths is not part of the Port Authority’s plans.

“We didn’t change the width because it would’ve been hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars,” Sagrestano told the website. “It was not something that the Port Authority was actively looking at as an alternative.”

PHOTO OF THE DAY

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TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

RIVERCROSS UNDER CONSTRUCTION  1973
ED LITCHER GOT IT

Years ago I walked over the George Washington Bridge. These were the days of polluting fuels and heavy traffic.  It was not a pleasant experience with the roar of traffic.  The new path seems better and now is time to walk to NJ again.

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

6SQFT

POSTED TODAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2023  BY AARON GINSBURG

THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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