Eyewitness News gets tour of George Washington Bridge as crews replace final suspension cables
FORT LEE, New Jersey (WABC) -- Anyone who commutes over the George Washington Bridge knows its always busy, but what hasn't been as noticed is that it has been an active construction site for several years.
The Port Authority of New York/New Jersey has been working meticulously to make a critical upgrade to replace massive steel wire suspender ropes -- some almost 700 feet long -- that hold the structure up.
The job to replace all 592 ropes began seven years ago as part of a $2 billion project, after they had been in place for nearly a century.
"We wanted to take the proactive approach to replace the suspenders to ensure this bridge had another 100 years plus of life left in it," said Ken Tripaldi, Senior Engineer of Construction for PANYNJ.
Eyewitness News got a tour on Thursday just as the last of the new ropes went up, which carried a flag with it.
For spectator Tyler Boisvert, the moment marked a very personal milestone.
"My father-in-law is down there on the bridge who just lifted that last cable," Boisvert said. "To have them (grandchildren) come out and just see their grandfather, granddad doing something that's going to last for generations - it leaves a legacy that's really cool to think about."
Those who have worked on the upgrades have been up on the bridge for hours on end, while essentially rebuilding the bridge without closing traffic.
The PANYNJ says another part of the project will be replacing the sidewalk and rehabilitating the bridge's main cables.
The main cables -- otherwise known as the backbone of the bridge -- were built 94 years ago.
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