{"id":374877,"date":"2026-10-16T15:28:33","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T15:28:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374877\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T15:28:33","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T15:28:33","slug":"cyclists-and-pedestrians-finally-get-their-own-paths-on-the-george-washington-bridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374877\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyclists and Pedestrians Finally Get Their Own Paths on the George Washington Bridge"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Port Authority opened a renovated walkway on the south side of the George Washington Bridge on Thursday, giving people on foot their own dedicated lane, and cyclists the north outer path the agency revamped in 2023.<\/p>\n

Even better \u2014 the PA will no longer shutter the bridge to anyone outside of a car after midnight, as the agency did before and until the southern shoulder\u2019s renovation. <\/p>\n

One outer path will still close each night, however, and cyclists and pedestrians will need to share the remaining path during that time. <\/p>\n

The change will finally provide 24-7 access to the nearly 2,000 daily bike and walking trips between Gotham and the Garden State.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see the demand that we are trying to meet,\u201d Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia said at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday. \u201cPedestrians and cyclists, they do move at different speeds, and having less conflict between them means that everyone has a safer and more enjoyable experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

The PA will still gate off one of the two paths every night from midnight to 4:45 a.m., on an alternating basis. Garcia said the closure is necessary for daily maintenance, so cyclists and pedestrians will have to share the remaining outer lane during that time.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow that we have the south [path], we will always have one open, but we need to be able to do cleaning and maintenance,\u201d Garcia told Streetsblog at the opening event.<\/p>\n

Port Authority reps have given conflicting explanations<\/a> for why they must close the shoulder paths, citing vague concerns about safety and the ongoing larger renovation of the bridge.<\/p>\n

For years, commuters who rely on the bridge petitioned the Port for around-the-clock<\/a> access without having to drive a car. After all, their counterparts in cars enjoy 14 lanes across two bridge decks. Interstate travelers have complained<\/a> about getting stranded in the wrong side of the Hudson River, and about officials reopening the fence too late.<\/p>\n

The new design mimics the divided bike and pedestrian paths of the Manhattan and Queensboro Bridges. But the city Department of Transportation, which manages those East River bridges, doesn\u2019t shutter its bike and pedestrian paths for cleaning every night. Nor does the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates several other city bridges, including the Triborough and Whitestone. Garcia declined to elaborate on why the George Washington Bridge differed from those spans beyond saying, \u201cit needs cleaning.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"This is what the path used to look like pre-renovation in 2023. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n

Last year, some 637,000 trips crossed George Washington Bridge\u2019s north walk on foot or on a bike. The Authority opened that path following a renovation in early 2023<\/a>, after being mostly closed since the 9\/11 attacks. <\/p>\n

\"\"The north path opened in 2023, but is now for bikes only. File photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n

The Port Authority is rehabbing the entire 1931 span for around $2 billion, an effort that will continue until the bridge\u2019s centenary in five years.<\/p>\n

For the latest project, the agency added a new winding on-ramp to the southern walkway with widths of up to 14 feet. The new ramp replaced a hairpin approach and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act.<\/p>\n

\"\"The bridge still includes blind spots like this, and narrows down significantly. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n

Despite the presence of taller fencing and a fresh coat of paint, most of the path remains the same size as the original one. The redesign preserves several blind corners and dangerously narrows the path around the bridge\u2019s enormous suspension cables.<\/p>\n

\"\"The same space three years ago. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n

Local cycling advocates have long pushed the Port Authority to widen the paths to better accommodate the growing demand for cycling and micromobility on both sides of the Hudson River.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is still the only bikeable connector between 10 million residents of New York City and North Jersey, and the Port Authority should have seen this coming,\u201d said Neile Weissman<\/a>, who heads the group Complete George, which has pushed for full-size bikeways<\/a> across the bridge since 2013. \u201cThe walkways are less than seven feet wide between the shielded cables,\u201d Weissman added.<\/p>\n

\t\t\tRecommended<\/p>\n

Two-way bike lanes should be at least 13 feet wide to accommodate passing, and eight feet should be the \u201cabsolute minimum width,\u201d according to guidelines<\/a> by the National Association of City Transportation Officials. <\/p>\n

\"\"Cyclists and pedestrians will have to share this path overnight. Photo: Kevin Duggan<\/p>\n

Three years ago, project managers said<\/a> that expanding the north side path would have been \u201ccost-prohibitive,\u201d adding \u201chundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars\u201d to the budget. This time, Garcia told Streetsblog the Port Authority was \u201cdriven by what the engineering allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, the new approaches are a significant upgrade from the perilous switchbacks that previously led up to the mile-and-a-half-long overpass, and Weissman lauded the agency for allowing 24-hour access \u2014 even if it is on a shared path.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt least they\u2019re recognizing that this is not a recreational facility, it\u2019s used for transportation,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s an improvement for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\tRecommended<\/p>\n

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