October 24, 1931: The George Washington Bridge Opens

October 24, 1931, 90 years ago: The George Washington Bridge opens, connecting Upper Manhattan at 179th Street with Fort Lee, New Jersey, over the Hudson River. Until the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco 6 years later, it is the longest suspension bridge in the world.

It was named for Washington because it was at roughly that spot where he evacuated the retreating Continental Army across the Hudson, to escape the British Army. Fort Lee was named for Charles Lee, one of Washington's Generals, a bad one. He wanted to use Washington's setbacks to get himself named General-in-Chief. Washington's Christmas victory at Trenton would end that ambition. Lee died in 1782, before the war ended.

The Tunnel that opened in 1937 was named for Abraham Lincoln because, along with Washington who had the Bridge named after him, Lincoln was 1 of the 2 most important Presidents.

The Bridge led to the great suburban growth of Bergen County, which eventually replaced Essex County as the most populous in New Jersey in the 1980s. In 1946, the upper deck was widened from 6 to 8 lanes. In 1962, a 6-lane lower level opened.

Today, it carries U.S. Routes 1 and 9, and Interstate 95. The State Line in the middle of the Hudson also marks the terminus of U.S. Route 46. Interstate 80 is not included in the Bridge, terminating at I-95, 5 miles west of the Bridge.

Through I-95, the Bridge is connected with in one direction with the New Jersey Turnpike, and in the other direction with the Cross Bronx Expressway, the New England Thruway and the Connecticut Turnpike. Through the Cross Bronx, it is linked with Interstate 87, and thus the New York State Thruway, accessing Upstate and Canada. Through I-95's link with I-80, it is linked with the Great Lakes, the Rocky Mountains and the West Coast.

The Bridge is a major entrance and exit in New York City for fans going to Yankee games. Many was the time that Yankee broadcaster Phil Rizzuto wanted to leave a game early, saying, "I gotta get over that bridge!"

Of course, these days, it's best known for the scandal that sank the 2016 Presidential campaign of Chris Christie, and led to him being the most unpopular Governor in New Jersey's history, despite winning 60 percent of the vote in his re-election bid.

New Jersey Glossary: Volume 6, Crossings Into New York

Lincoln Tunnel, South Tube

This is the last installment in my New Jersey Glossary. The following are road crossings of the rivers from New Jersey into New York City, and vice versa, going from north to south, each with a toll of $15.00:

* George Washington Bridge, opened in 1931, carrying Interstate 95 and U.S. Routes 1 and 9 (but not, as it may appear on a map, Interstate 80 and U.S. Route 46), between Fort Lee, Bergen County and Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan. Tolls from New Jersey to New York are much higher than those from New Jersey to Philadelphia. "The GW" may be the biggest traffic boondoggle in America.

* Lincoln Tunnel, 1937 (Center Tube, North Tube in 1945, South Tube in 1957), N.J./N.Y. Route 495 (but not, as it may appear on a map, Interstate 495), between Weehawken, Hudson County and Hell's Kitchen, Midtown Manhattan. If George Washington got a major crossing of the Hudson River, Abraham Lincoln deserved one, too.

Both the Lincoln Tunnel and the Holland Tunnel have the State Line marked halfway across, known as The Stripe.

* Holland Tunnel, 1927, Interstate 78, between Jersey City, Hudson County and Tribeca, Lower Manhattan. Named for the chief engineer on the project, Clifford M. Holland. The name has nothing to do with New York City's Dutch origins.

Jersey City entrance to the Holland Tunnel,

made up for the Christmas season

* Bayonne Bridge, 1931, N.J./N.Y. Route 440, between Bayonne, Hudson County and Port Richmond, Staten Island. This was the model for Australia's most famous bridge, the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The roadway was raised between 2013 and 2019, to allow bigger cargo ships to pass underneath, and thus supply the Port of New York, Port Newark and Port Elizabeth.

* Goethals Bridge, 2017, Interstate 278, between Elizabeth, Union County and Old Place, Staten Island. Replaced an earlier bridge that opened in 1928. Both were named for George Washington Goethals, the engineer who supervised the building of the Panama Canal, and then became the 1st consulting engineer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The new bridge (left) replacing the old one

* Outerbridge Crossing, 1928, N.J./N.Y. Route 440, between Perth Amboy, Middlesex County and Tottenville, Staten Island. The name of this bridge would seem to be simple, as it's the outermost bridge crossing from New Jersey into New York. But the source of the name is actually the 1st chairman of the Port Authority, Eugenius Harvey Outerbridge. I know, it sounds like the real name of a Batman villain. Given the $15 toll, it does seem like he's a thief.

See also "State Line."