Turning Othmar H. Ammann’s engineering vision into a functioning facility began with a groundbreaking ceremony in Fort Lee, New Jersey on September 21, 1927. Over the course of more than four years, men and machines poured hundreds of thousands of yards of concrete for the anchorages and roadways, strung tons of galvanized steel wire for the suspension and suspender cables, and fastened together tons of structural steel for the bridge’s two towers and road deck. Foundations for the towers and the anchorages were excavated and constructed first and then built at the same time. The project’s budget was set at $60 million for land, acquisition, demolition and construction. It opened to the public on October 25, 1931 –eight months ahead of schedule and $1 million under budget. When it opened, it was the longest main-span suspension bridge in the world. It remains the most traversed bridge in the world.

Site conditions were different on opposite sides of the Hudson River, which is reflected in the designs of the anchorages. On the New Jersey side, the cables are anchored to the solid rock of the Palisades. The top of the Palisades ridge were chiseled out, and caverns were blasted and cut into the side of the cliff for the anchorages. The anchorage on the Manhattan side is a man-made behemoth constructed with reinforced concrete.

The New Jersey tower was built off-shore on concrete and stone foundations that rest on solid ground deep beneath the bed of the Hudson River. The Manhattan foundations and tower were built on land.

Construction of one of two anchorages, one on each side of the Hudson.

River barges carried prefabricated sections of the tower to the site. Once there, cranes lifted the sections into position for attachment.

A barely visible ironworker at the top of the tower works to secure steel sections into place.

Looking down from the top of a tower leg, ironworkers are erecting the struts and braces that tie the legs of the tower together.

Roadway assembly of the side span viewed from within the Manhattan anchorage. The bridge’s roadway connects to Fort Lee, New Jersey. To keep the structure in balance, the roadway had to be assembled symmetrically beginning at both towers. It moved outward in both directions simultaneously.

Looking toward Manhattan as viewed through the cables.

A barge carried spools of cable that were unwound along the river bottom and between anchorages. When the cables reached the full span, they were lifted to the tops of the towers and secured at the anchorage.

The main cables have been spun and are being compacted and banded. The bridge’s four cables are made from individual strands of wire laid one on top of the other — enough wire to stretch halfway to the moon.

Despite enormous challenges, construction unfolded as a case study in efficiency, speed and safety.

The George offered Manhattan-bound motorists from New Jersey two trans-Hudson options: they could drive under the Hudson via the Holland Tunnel at Jersey City; or drive over the river by crossing the George.

In its first year of operation, 5,510,000 vehicles crossed the span.

Traffic volumes rose steadily from the time the bridge opened, and by the mid-1950s, a second deck was needed.

The bridge’s two towers stand 604 feet above water. The bridge spurred widespread economic development, which resulted in explosive community growth.