My bridge

So I've been doing some regular running lately, and it seems that every time I'm irresistably drawn to the George Washington Bridge. Although newer and not as famous as the Brooklyn Bridge, this magnificent structure has become a favorite part of my neighborhood. In fact, now that I've run across it several times, I feel I can almost claim ownership. Since taking photos on the bridge is not allowed in this Post-9/11 age, I hunted down a few on the web.

The interesting structure leads to fabulous viewes & perspectives. Four enormous cables (each 36 inches in diameter and comprising almost 30,000 wires) support the roadway. The running/biking bath lies on the north side of the bridge between these two support cables. Eight lanes of traffic cross the bridge on the upper deck, meaning the bridge is more than 100 feet wide!

At dusk, understated lighting effects appear along the road and the support cables. Unlike in the picture, however, the towers aren't lit regularly anymore.

26 December 2000 by Nell Dillon-Ermers

Construction on the George Washington Bridge began in 1927, and it opened to traffic in 1931. It has two decks (which can be appreciated in the picture below), giving a total of fourteen lanes of traffic. It's one of the busiest bridges in the world with more than 150,000 crossings daily.

26 December 2000 by Nell Dillon-Ermers

In this picture (below) we see the Manhattan side of the bridge. The bridge is exactly 0.9 miles long from anchor to anchor. The towers are 600 feet tall (the height of a respectable skyscraper!), and the road is more than 200 feet above the Hudson River. In the distance to the right of the three nearly identical buildings is the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center.