George Washington Bridge Re-Suspension Platforms

As the busiest bridge in the world, located 600 feet above the Hudson river, age and salt have caused stress and corrosion to the suspension ropes. In order to re-suspend the George Washington Bridge without closing it to the 280,000 cars per day that rely on it as well as providing a safe working environment for the workers, a massive working platform was constructed beneath the bridge’s suspension cables.

That’s the most important thing. The bridge must stay open.

Hot-dip galvanizing was chosen for all of the scaffolding and worker platforms because of it’s resistance to the salty air above the river. More importantly, the durability of hot-dip galvanizing allowed it to survive the battering of a construction environment as well as the 70 mile per hour winds.

Given zero tolerance for construction delays or bridge closures, scheduling was critical on this $1.9 billion project. Hot-dip galvanizing was selected due to its ability to be produced quickly and regardless of weather conditions. Recognizing that mandate, each load of the 1,800 tons of steel were hot-dip galvanized within 48-hours of delivery.