The George Washington Bridge and Bronx Rent A Car

The George Washington Bridge, which connects New Jersey and New York, is located right below where the Bronx connects with New York (Manhattan). The George Washington Bridge is known by its abbreviation, the GW Bridge, or just as the GW. It is often mentioned as simply The Bridge?on morning and evening drive time traffic reports. The Bridge is often full of Bronx rent a car vehicles, including minivans, 15 passenger vans, and trucks of various sizes.

Interestingly, the bridge was initially called the Hudson River Bridge but was changed to the George Washington Bridge after a campaign by New York City public school students.

Planning for building the George Washington Bridge began in 1906 to allow a connection between New Jersey, New York, and the Bronx. Without the availability of the bridge, should you wish to drive your Bronx rent a car to New Jersey, you would have to travel through Manhattan or upstate New York. The bridge has been an economic boon to both New York and New Jersey.

The site selected was the narrowest point between New York and New Jersey. Another benefit of the current location was the height of the Bridge in that it allowed ships to pass underneath without the need to build extensive pilings to raise the level of the bridge. Since the land that connects the bridge to New York and New Jersey is high, it saved on the design and construction of the bridge ?the bridge sits 213 feet above the Hudson River. What more, building the bridge at the northern end of Manhattan and the base of the Bronx enabled the designers and government officials to avoid dealing with the business owners in New York who may have objected to the location of the bridge (the initial proposal for the bridge was located closer to what is now considered Midtown Manhattan. At the time, however there was concern that building officials would encounter opposition from the wealthy property owners of Manhattan. Over time, the Lincoln and Holland tunnels were designed and built in order to connect Midtown with the neighboring areas). The location of the George Washington Bridge was selected at the narrowest point of the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York.

Finally, in 1925, the newly formed Authority of New York and New Jersey proceeded with the building of the George Washington Bridge with groundbreaking taking place in September of 1927. The Port Authority was established in 1921. Today the Port Authority controls all the bridge and tunnel crossings between New York and New Jersey. Anyone driving a Bronx rent a car, 15 passenger van rental, or commercial truck is likely to have driven over one of the crossings controlled by the Port Authority.

The George Washington Bridge finally opened on October 25, 1931 though the lower level did not open until 1962. Interestingly, it took just 300 men, 209 days to build the towers on the New York and New Jersey side of the Hudson river. There is an elevator in the base of each tower.

The engineer of the bridge was Othmar Ammann. He designed the bridge to connect New York and New Jersey vehicular traffic, which allows you to travel between the two states in your Bronx rent a car across. Amman also designed the bridge to include a second level should there ever be a sufficient demand for traffic.

It is hard to believe, but the George Washington Bridge was completed one million dollars under budget and eight months ahead of schedule. At the time, the bridge was the longest suspension bridge in the world and the first 14 lane bridge in the world. The same company that assisted in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge participated in the construction of the George Washington Bridge.

When the bridge finally opened, there were traffic problems which arose in New York and New Jersey. While the initial designs for the bridge approaches were to contain fountains and circular ramps, these plans were quickly abandoned in order to improve traffic flow. While the initial daily traffic flow was a mere 55,000 vehicles, the surrounding roads were unable to handle the increased demand. Even today, driving your Bronx rent a car across the bridge can take an hour or more depending on traffic flow, and that utilizing all 14 of the bridge upper and lower roadways!

Following construction of the bridge, the city of New York built the Westside Highway, as well as tunnels connecting Manhattan to the East River highways, Harlem River Drive, and the Henry Hudson Parkway in the Bronx. In the 1960's, the Alexander Hamilton Bridge was built to further connect the Bronx with the city. It is another bridge you can drive your Bronx rent a car across in order to better understand the construction and history of the George Washington Bridge.

There is no cost to cross the George Washington Bridge in your Bronx car rental from New York to New Jersey. There is also no charge for a minivan or 15 passenger van rental to make the same trip. However, when you return across the bridge from New Jersey to New York you will be required to pay a toll regardless of what type of Bronx rental vehicle you are driving. If you own an EZ-pass, remember to place it in your Bronx rent a car during your travelers as it will save you significant time and money.