GWB open 24/7 - but not if you walk, bike
Fort Lee resident starts petition for more access
By: Colleen Wilson
NorthJersey.com
USA Today Network - New Jersey
..... Kacy Knight of Fort Lee recently tried to take a late-night bike ride across the George Washington Bridge to clear his head - but was surprised to find a locked gate at the New Jersey entrance to the newly reconstructed shared-use-path.
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He couldn't believe the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey - which owns and operates the world's busiest bridge - would close the only Manhattan-New Jersey crossing dedicated to cyclists and pedestrians, while the rest of the bridge remains open to vehicle traffic all day and night.
..... It turns out the shared-use path has been closed every night form midnight to 6 AM. for at least three decades.
..... "It occurred to me that this is probably hurting people livelihoods,"Knight said, adding that he talked to restaurant friends who said they heard complaints form workers who couldn't cycle to early-miring shifts because of the path's closure.
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Knight decided to state a petition to advocate for 24/7 access to the path. The initiative took off on social media and caught the attention of Gothamist.
..... Seth Stein, a Port Authority spokesman, said the bistate agency is open to discussing changes to the hours of use but not until after the south portion of the shared-use path is completed, which is estimated to be in 2026. A full bridge restoration is expected to be completed in 2030.
..... "We are currently undertaking a $2 billion restoration of the George Washington Bridge, during which time overnight closures are necessary," Stein said. "When that work is complete and the south walk reposes, we look forward to continuing the conversation about overnight closes, with an eye to ensuring we can still preform essential maintenance and cleaning operations while keeping people safe on the bridge."
..... In addition to construction, the path is apparently closed overnight so it can be cleaned suing a piece of equipment that is the width of the corridor, a process the agency says takes more than five hours.
..... Knight doesn't buy either of those excuses, and he hopes agency officials will reconsider.
..... "I'm perfectly willing to compromise with them," he said. "I think if they could close it for two hours a night, I'd even see that as a win."
..... Knight said he's willing to gather a team of volunteers to "adopt" the path and keep it clean. "I'm willing to sit at the table and come up with solutions," he said.
North Walk reopened in 2023
..... Before the bridge's restoration program began, the shared-use paths - known as the South Walk and North Walk, located on either side of the bridge's roadway - were difficult to navigate. There were many tight turns blind spots, choke points and sets of treacherous stairs, which limited its accessibility for walkers and cyclists.
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Starting in 2017, the North Walk underwent a transformation, and it reopened in 2023. Now someone in a wheelchair can sue the path unaided thanks to new ramps. There are also wider turns, new rest areas and designated lookout spots. When the North Walk reopened, the South Walk closed for construction. It is expected to reopen in two years - at which point the north side will be dedicated to cyclists and the south side to pedestrians.
..... Since the reconstructed North Walk opened last year, [2023] traffic has increased - especially on weekdays.
..... In June 2024, the average weekday saw 2,084 cyclists and pedestrians use the North Walk path up form 1,727 in July 2018 on the South Walk. Weekend use is also up, with an average of 4,178 people crossing in June 2024 on the North Walk, an increase form July 2018, when there were 3,367 on average using the South Walk.
..... Alexander Levi, a principal architect in the Port Authority's engineering department, gave a presentation to the North Jersey transportation Planning authority in September 2023 about the reopened path's early success and evolution.
..... "Even during the week, It's not just a leisure bridge, it's become more than ever a commuting connection between the two sides of the river," Levi said.
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Knight hopes the Port Authority will jump on the excitement the upgrades have sparked so its use can continue to grow and serve more people, especially those who will use it to commute to work opportunists during off-peak hours.
..... "There's something really cool about that path on a bike," he said. "There's pedestrians, but they made it so wide and so bright and so beautiful that you're literally smiling as you're passing people.
..... "It's a freedom-of-movement thing."