Restoring the George: Maintaining the Health of the World’s Busiest Bridge

Over the span of five months, the Tilcon NY construction and asphalt teams restored four lanes, approximately one mile long each and consisted of 316 panels, comprising a significant portion of the bridge.

The unpredictable nature of the Northeast’s weather posed a significant challenge to the paving crews. Since the deck would oxidize if exposed to rain, there was zero tolerance for moisture on the exposed steel bridge, preventing the team from working if there was any chance of rain. Despite losing 21 percent of scheduled shifts to inclement weather, the Tilcon NY team still managed to outperform the deadline and complete the paving one month ahead of schedule.

Back in 2011, Tilcon NY successfully paved a different part of the G.W. Bridge. Their expertise in specialty work remains a strong suit for their paving team, having worked on Port Authority projects for over 30 years. The seasoned team minimized risk by keeping safety a top priority and worked through several challenges including managing traffic for this busy thoroughfare and major commuter route.

Construction on the G.W. Bridge’s deck and eastbound approach lanes successfully concluded in October 2024. For the next 20 years, the specialty asphalt mixes are expected to withstand the extreme northeast weather and the nearly 50 million eastbound automobiles, buses and trucks that cross annually.