Construction delays cause major backups on George Washington Bridge

FORT LEE, N.J. (WABC) -- Construction delays led to big headaches for commuters trying to cross the George Washington Bridge Wednesday morning.

Rush-hour traffic backed up for miles as repair work that began this week took longer than expected.

The contractor hired by the Port Authority had difficulty replacing one of the panels overnight. The contractor did not clear the bridge until 6:20 a.m. Bridge work is supposed to be completed by 5 a.m.

Traffic was bumper to bumper on the inbound level. One driver said his normal 40 minute commute suddenly ballooned into two hours.

"It makes you want to pull your hair out but I have no more hair to pull out," said another driver.

There are 632 panels to be replaced on the upper deck. The contractor replaced 570 last year and they will replace the remaining 62 panels over the next 12 weeks.

Port Authority engineers are meeting with the contractor to go over what happened and make sure it does not happen again.

The contractor is American Bridge, which has offices overlooking the site and a lot right next to it.

Three upper-level lanes will be closed for the next 12 weeks during overnight hours, shutting down from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Monday through Thursday, and from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m. Friday into Saturday.

There will be no lane closings on Saturday or Sunday nights. Truckers have to use the upper roadway. Driving a car, your best bet is to take the lower roadway.

The work will shift between the eastbound and westbound directions during the project.

On the days of Yankee games or events at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, the contractor on the GW Bridge will not be allowed to close lanes until one hour after the end of the game/event to mitigate traffic impact.

The bridge project provides for the rehabilitation of the structural steel on the upper-level roadway deck and support structure to maintain it in a state of good repair.

CLICK HERE to view the current construction schedule and learn more about the project.