Dive Brief:
- The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey reopened the renovated South Walk of the George Washington Bridge on Thursday, according to a news release.
- The project, included in Skanska’s $452 million contract to replace the bridge’s 592 suspender ropes, rebuilt the 1.5-mile pedestrian pathway with widened approach paths and connections to adjacent streets.
- The milestone advances the $2 billion Restoring the George program, an 11-project restoration effort that began in 2013, according to the release.
Dive Insight:
The Port Authority has now completed eight of the program’s 11 phases, with two more ongoing and the last component planned, according to the release.
The renovated walkway features approach paths as wide as 14 feet and slopes no greater than 5%, according to the Port Authority. The work also added a new viewing platform at the New York entrance and an expanded entry plaza in New Jersey.
“The team developed hoisting systems that could be safely utilized with no disruption to normal bridge traffic,” David Murawski, senior vice president of operations at Skanska USA Civil, told Construction Dive. “The custom designed temporary work platforms suspended from the main cable worked in conjunction with the hoisting systems to provide safe and efficient access to all work locations.”…