George Washington Bridge reopens its South Walk, giving walkers and cyclists separate paths again

People walking across the George Washington Bridge have a path of their own again. The Port Authority cut the ribbon Thursday on the bridge's renovated South Walk, which had been closed for reconstruction since 2023, CBS New York and NY1 reported.

Pedestrians return to the South Walk and cyclists keep the North Walk, which reopened after its own renovation in early 2023. While the south side was closed, walkers and riders shared the north path. CBS New York said the split takes effect starting Friday.

Open around the clock, mostly

For years the Port Authority closed the bridge to anyone not in a car after midnight. That ends with the second path, Streetsblog reported: one walkway will now close each night from midnight to 4:45 a.m., alternating sides, so the other stays open and pedestrians and cyclists will share it during those hours.

"Now that we have the south [path], we will always have one open, but we need to be able to do cleaning and maintenance," Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia told Streetsblog. The city's East River bridges and the MTA's bridges do not close their bike and pedestrian paths for nightly cleaning, Streetsblog noted.

What's new on the South Walk

• Wider sections of walkway and new lighting
• Security cameras, crisis phones and new signs
• Viewing platforms over the Hudson River
• 11-foot-high security fencing meant to keep people from climbing over the edge
• A new winding on-ramp up to 14 feet wide that replaces a hairpin approach and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act

The work is part of the Port Authority's roughly $2 billion "Restoring the George" program, which will continue until the 1931 bridge's centennial, according to CBS New York and Streetsblog.

Still narrow in places

Garcia said separating the two groups means "less conflict" and a safer trip for everyone. Last year more than 637,000 trips crossed the bridge's walkways on foot or by bike, according to the Port Authority.

Advocates say the paths are still too tight. Most of the South Walk is the same size as before and still pinches around the bridge's suspension cables, Streetsblog reported. "The walkways are less than seven feet wide between the shielded cables," said Neile Weissman of the group Complete George, who nonetheless praised the 24-hour access. Garcia told Streetsblog the design was "driven by what the engineering allowed."