Major Delays Don't Materialize On GWB As Work On Alexander Hamilton Bridge Under Way
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- So far, so good.
The so-called "carmageddon" drivers have been dreading since a three-month construction project on the Alexander Hamilton Bridge got under way over the weekend hasn't arrived -- at least not yet.
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New Jersey drivers heading into New York over the George Washington Bridge braced themselves for some major delays Monday morning after the project began on the New York side of the Alexander Hamilton Bridge on Saturday.
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During the three-month project, workers will remove concrete and then check, repair or replace the metal support beams and then resurface the entire roadway.
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Officials are expecting major backups during construction in the eastbound direction across the George Washington Bridge and into Interstates 80, 95 and the Palisades Parkway, which could cause traffic to back up for miles into New Jersey.
"It's going to be horrible," said commuter Vivien Figueroa. "I'm going to have to take the Lincoln Tunnel."
But Department of Transportation officials said a few months of pain will get 75 years of service out of the Alexander Hamilton.
"It's a couple of months of pain for a lifetime's worth of gain," Adam Levine, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Transportation, told CBS 2. "It's going to be a 75-year service life that we'll get out of this bridge when we're done."
New Jersey drivers are advised to use the three Staten Island crossings, the Lincoln or Holland tunnels. Motorists from the north can use the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Commuters also can leave their cars behind and hop on a NY Waterway ferry. Ferries are available from Edgewater and Weehawken.
New Jersey TRANSIT says several bus routes will also be impacted by the construction project. Bus passes and tickets for those who use the affected bus routes will be cross-honored on NJ TRANSIT's trains.
To see if your bus route is on the list, click here.
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