George Washington Bridge Traffic

As of 2016, the George Washington Bridge traffic over 103 million vehicles per year, making it the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state government agency that operates infrastructure in the Port of New York and New Jersey owned the Bridge.

George Washington Bridge Traffic counts grew year after year. By the time of the bridge’s tenth anniversary in 1941, the total 72 million vehicles used the span, including a record 9.1 million vehicles in 1940.

Originally, the George Washington Bridge’s single deck consisted of six lanes, with an unpaved center median.

In 1946, POrt authority added two more lanes on the upper level, widening it from six lanes to eight lanes.

The two center lanes on the upper level served as reversible lanes, which could handle traffic in either direction depending on traffic flows.

However, a fixed median was not added until the 1970s.

George Washington Bridge Traffic – Construction

The idea of a bridge across the Hudson River was first proposed in 1906.  However it was not until 1925 that the state legislatures of New York and New Jersey voted to allow for the planning and construction of such a bridge.

Construction on the George Washington Bridge started in October 1927. Port authority ceremonially dedicated the bridge on October 24, 1931, and opened to traffic the next day.

The George Washington Bridge measures 4,760 feet (1,450 m) long and has a main span of 3,500 feet (1,100 m). It had the longest main bridge span in the world at the time of its opening and held this distinction until the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937.

It has an upper level that carries four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction, for a total of 14 lanes of travel. The speed limit on the bridge is 45 mph (72 km/h). The bridge’s upper level also carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic.