Photographs of the Bridges
George Washington Bridge, New York City
The George Washington Bridge is one of the most prominent landmarks of New York City. Although the Brooklyn Bridge may be more recognizable, and certainly gets more tourist visits, it is only one of more than a dozen bridges that cross the East and Harlem Rivers to connect Manhattan with Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The George Washington Bridge is the only bridge that crosses the Hudson and, with 14 total lanes on two levels, carries more lanes of traffic than any other bridge in the United States.
The iconic appearance of the suspension towers occurred partly by accident. The original design of the bridge called for stone facing to be applied to the towers, which would have created a more traditional appearance, but would also have hidden the impressive structure of the towers. However, when the bridge neared completion in 1931, the nation was in the depths of the depression, and the decision was made to forgo the expense of applying a stone façade. This turned out to be a happy accident, because New Yorkers immediately grew to love the industrial, erector set appearance.
In 1931, when the bridge opened, the longest suspension bridge main span in the world was Ambassador Bridge in Detroit, at 1,850 feet. Then, in one fell swoop, the George Washington Bridge set the new record at a length of 3,501 feet. That was more than 1,650 feet longer or almost double the length of what was, at that time, the longest bridge in the world. It ushered in a new era of mega-bridges.
I have written a detailed description of the bridge in Chapter 2 of my book, Bridgespotting: A Guide to Bridges that Connect People, Places, and Times.
