Delays expected on road to George Washington Bridge as crews conduct inspections after falling debris
Falling debris on the westbound side of the George Washington Bridge kept lanes closed all day on Thursday. Credit: Marcus Santos
Overnight lane closures and traffic delays are scheduled to allow for inspections along the expressway that connects Long Islanders to the George Washington Bridge following two separate instances of falling debris in recent days, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“To accommodate inspections on the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (TME) which connects the George Washington Bridge to the Alexander Hamilton Bridge and the Cross-Bronx Expressway in Upper Manhattan, motorists should allow additional travel time and expect delays in both directions this weekend and into next week,” the Port Authority said in a weekly travel advisory.
Starting at 10 p.m. Friday, two upper level eastbound and westbound lanes of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway will close, according to the Port Authority, which owns and maintains the George Washington Bridge. The shuttered westbound lanes will reopen at 8 a.m. Saturday; eastbound lanes will reopen at 3 p.m. Saturday.
Access to all New Jersey-bound lower level lanes on the George Washington Bridge were closed Wednesday morning through early Thursday after debris fell on the roadway, necessitating emergency repairs, Newsday previously reported. The incident occurred about 7:51 a.m. when a motorist was “struck by falling debris from [an] overpass” and transported to New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan according to the FDNY. The driver's condition was not immediately known Friday evening.
Overnight Wednesday into Thursday, crews “conducted extensive overnight inspections of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, removed loose, non-structural concrete and out of an abundance of caution installed protective netting in targeted locations on westbound local lanes,” the Port Authority said. “Similar inspections were completed overnight on the eastbound local lanes, where additional loose, non-structural material was removed. Netting installation at identified locations continued Thursday night into Friday morning.”
Wednesday’s incident arrived just six days after “a localized ceiling component had failed” and fell onto a separate area of the westbound expressway leading to the bridge, the Port Authority said. Crews inspected the area and completed necessary repairs. That May 7 incident was captured by a driver's dashcam and uploaded to Reddit, according to Gothamist.
The Port Authority is still investigating the cause of the incident’s but noted that “this past winter brought repeated freeze-thaw cycles and extensive salt exposure across the region’s transportation infrastructure, which can accelerate deterioration in aging concrete structures.”
Daytime closures of the upper level eastbound lanes of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, the Port Authority said. Overnight inspections from 10 p.m. Monday to 5 a.m. Tuesday and 10 p.m. Tuesday through 5 a.m. Wednesday will shutter a pair of upper level eastbound lanes. From 10 p.m. Wednesday to 5 a.m. Thursday and from 10 p.m. Thursday through 5 a.m. Thursday, two upper level westbound lanes will be closed. All lower level westbound lanes will be closed all four evenings.
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