George Washington Bridge | road bridge, suspension bridge

 road bridge, suspension bridge, do not draw title

The George Washington Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River, connecting the Washington Heights neighbourhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City to Fort Lee, Bergen County, New Jersey. Interstate 95, U.S. Route 1, and U.S. Route 9 cross the entire length of the bridge and U.S. Route 46, which is entirely in New Jersey, ends halfway across the bridge at the state line. It has an upper level with four lanes in each direction and a lower level with three lanes in each direction for a total of 14 lanes of traffic. A path on each side of the bridge's upper level carries pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

The George Washington Bridge, designed by Othmar H. Ammann with Cass Gilbert as consulting architect, was constructed from October 1927 to October 1931 at a cost of US$59,000,000. It has a total length of 4,760 ft (1,450 m), a main span of 3,500 ft (1,100 m), a width of 119 ft (36 m), a height of 604 ft (184 m), and a clearance of 212 ft (65 m) below the deck. The upper deck of the bridge originally had 6 lanes of traffic. Two lanes were added onto the deck in 1946. The lower level was added in 1962. Its two exposed steel towers, with their distinctive cross-bracing, have become one of the bridge's identifying characteristics.

The bridge carries approximately 290,000 vehicles per day. It is also the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge, carrying 106,000,000 vehicles per year. Eastbound drivers pay an $12 toll for use of the bridge.

A large free-flying American flag is located under the upper arch of the west tower of the bridge. The flag has a length of 90 feet (27 m) long, a width of 60 feet (18 m), and a weight of 450 pounds (200 kg). If weather allows, the flag is flown on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Flag Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veterans Day.

The George Washington Bridge was designated as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark on October 24, 1981.

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