The suspender rope replacement project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026, also includes the construction of a newly built sidewalk on the bridge’s south side. When completed, the project work will improve safety and accessibility while increasing capacity for path users by separating pedestrians on the south sidewalk with bicyclists on the existing north sidewalk.

The Port Authority reported other progress on the “Restoring the George” project. Contractors are nearing completion of work to replace the bridge’s original steel suspender ropes that commenced in September 2018 on the bridge’s north side. The process of inspecting and cleaning the main cables, as well as the replacement of each steel suspender rope on the bridge’s north side, was completed in 2022.  Once new suspender ropes were in place and the main cable rehabilitation was complete, hi-tech acoustical monitoring and dehumidification systems were installed on the main cables. 

“The upkeep of the world’s busiest bridge requires constant vigilance and major investment to ensure the George Washington Bridge can safely and reliably connect people and commerce at the center of this region’s economic engine,” said Port Authority Chairman Kevin O’Toole. “Our Restoring the George program is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to build on the feat of engineering that connected the region 93 years ago, and to adapt the bridge to new and modern ways of commuting and sharing use beyond its original design.” 

Construction Dive reported earlier this year that major contracts awarded on the bridge rehabilitation program included: Maspeth, NY-based El Sol Contracting and Construction; Carteret, NJ-based Skanska Koch; Port Washington, NY-based Ahern Painting Contractors and College Point, NY-based GCCOM Construction Co.

Replacement of the bridge’s original north side steel suspender ropes and associated closure of the path below the cables created an opportunity for the Port Authority to overhaul the north side’s pedestrian path. From 2018 to 2023, the Port Authority replaced the north side’s steel suspender ropes while also building a new 1.5-mile-long sidewalk.

The other projects in the Restoring the George program include: 

• The rehabilitation of steel main cable strands in the bridge’s New York and New Jersey anchorages (completed in 2017).
• The pavement rehabilitation of the lower level’s eastbound roadway on the main span and access roads (completed in 2016).
• Replacement of the Palisades Interstate Parkway helix ramp and rehabilitation of the upper-level roadway over Hudson Terrace and the New Jersey anchorage (completed in 2020).
• Rehabilitation of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway’s median barrier and water system, and repair of concrete fire-proofing encasement on steel columns (ongoing).
• Rehabilitation of the 178^th and 179^th street ramps, bus ramps and bus turnaround, and construction of new street-level sidewalks on Cabrini Boulevard to the New York anchorage (ongoing).