2008 Woodie Awards
NJ & NY Landmarks Celebrate Milestones
Ilene Banoud
Issue date: 10/19/06 Section: Campus News
- Page 1 of 1
Two Hudson River landmarks celebrated birthdays in 2006. During the month of October, the George Washington Bridge commemorated its 75th year and the Statue of Liberty celebrated her 120th year in New York Harbor.
The George Washington Bridge, also known as the GWB, opened with 30,000 spectators on October 25, 1931. The bridge's 1931 cost was under budget at $59 million which was a welcome relief for the Port Authority during the Great Depression. Othmar H. Ammann, who engineered six bridges throughout his lifetime including the Bayonne and Verrazano-Narrows, was the head engineer on the GWB project. Mr. Ammann dedicated a great amount of time to over-engineering the GWB. This is evident in the fact that the suspension cables for the GWB are firmly imbedded into the cliffs of the Palisades and the foundations of the two towers are deeply submerged in the Hudson River. These engineering techniques could allow the bridge to support up to five levels of traffic and the possibility of a light rail crossing. Initially the GWB contained one level but in 1962 the lower deck was opened at a cost of $73 million. In 2005 there were over 107 million vehicles traveling across the GWB and discussion of constructing a third level has begun. A third level is only in the discussion stages because it would require a great deal of reengineering of the highways connecting to the GWB. For the next several years though the two current levels of the bridge can be used at a cost of $6 compared to a toll in 1931 of 50 cents.
The Statue of Liberty, whose official name is "Liberty Enlightening the World", was dedicated on October 28, 1886 by President Grover Cleveland. The dedication took place ten years after she was originally presented to the United States as a centennial gift from the citizens of France. The decade long impediment was caused by several factors. One issue of contention was the final location of the Statue. Initially, New Yorkers were not content with placing the Statue in New York Harbor, which led to the proposal of placing the Statue in Boston Harbor. However; after the Boston Harbor suggestion, New Yorkers merrily welcomed the Statue. Construction of the Statue of Liberty also required a great deal of time. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed a miniature of the Statue and Gustave Eiffel, who is famous for engineering the Eiffel Tower, was in charge of designing the iron structure used within the Statue. Constructing the copper shell and interior iron structure was complicated and transporting the 225 ton Statue to America was not an easy task. While construction of the Statue continued in France, in the U.S. the lack of monetary funds for the construction of the pedestal came to the forefront. Eventually Joseph Pulitzer, owner of "The World" newspaper, printed advertisements in his newspaper urging Americans to donate to the construction of the pedestal. Finally, in 1886 the Statue of Liberty was completed. The Statue served as a lighthouse under the direction of the U.S. Lighthouse board from the time of her dedication until 1902. The Statue was the first lighthouse to utilize electricity as a power source and this was possible because the island on which the Statue rests contained an electric power plant. The power plant is still used today to generate power for Liberty Island's facilities.
More information about these historic landmarks can be obtained by visiting the sites in person. Visitor information for the Statue of Liberty can be viewed at the following website www.statueofliberty.org. Breathtaking views of the George Washington Bridge can be enjoyed in the New Jersey Section of the Palisades Interstate Park. More information regarding the Palisades Interstate Park can be obtained by visiting their website www.njpalisades.org. Historical artifacts pertaining to the GWB can be viewed at the Fort Lee Museum in NJ.
The George Washington Bridge, also known as the GWB, opened with 30,000 spectators on October 25, 1931. The bridge's 1931 cost was under budget at $59 million which was a welcome relief for the Port Authority during the Great Depression. Othmar H. Ammann, who engineered six bridges throughout his lifetime including the Bayonne and Verrazano-Narrows, was the head engineer on the GWB project. Mr. Ammann dedicated a great amount of time to over-engineering the GWB. This is evident in the fact that the suspension cables for the GWB are firmly imbedded into the cliffs of the Palisades and the foundations of the two towers are deeply submerged in the Hudson River. These engineering techniques could allow the bridge to support up to five levels of traffic and the possibility of a light rail crossing. Initially the GWB contained one level but in 1962 the lower deck was opened at a cost of $73 million. In 2005 there were over 107 million vehicles traveling across the GWB and discussion of constructing a third level has begun. A third level is only in the discussion stages because it would require a great deal of reengineering of the highways connecting to the GWB. For the next several years though the two current levels of the bridge can be used at a cost of $6 compared to a toll in 1931 of 50 cents.
The Statue of Liberty, whose official name is "Liberty Enlightening the World", was dedicated on October 28, 1886 by President Grover Cleveland. The dedication took place ten years after she was originally presented to the United States as a centennial gift from the citizens of France. The decade long impediment was caused by several factors. One issue of contention was the final location of the Statue. Initially, New Yorkers were not content with placing the Statue in New York Harbor, which led to the proposal of placing the Statue in Boston Harbor. However; after the Boston Harbor suggestion, New Yorkers merrily welcomed the Statue. Construction of the Statue of Liberty also required a great deal of time. Frederic Auguste Bartholdi designed a miniature of the Statue and Gustave Eiffel, who is famous for engineering the Eiffel Tower, was in charge of designing the iron structure used within the Statue. Constructing the copper shell and interior iron structure was complicated and transporting the 225 ton Statue to America was not an easy task. While construction of the Statue continued in France, in the U.S. the lack of monetary funds for the construction of the pedestal came to the forefront. Eventually Joseph Pulitzer, owner of "The World" newspaper, printed advertisements in his newspaper urging Americans to donate to the construction of the pedestal. Finally, in 1886 the Statue of Liberty was completed. The Statue served as a lighthouse under the direction of the U.S. Lighthouse board from the time of her dedication until 1902. The Statue was the first lighthouse to utilize electricity as a power source and this was possible because the island on which the Statue rests contained an electric power plant. The power plant is still used today to generate power for Liberty Island's facilities.
More information about these historic landmarks can be obtained by visiting the sites in person. Visitor information for the Statue of Liberty can be viewed at the following website www.statueofliberty.org. Breathtaking views of the George Washington Bridge can be enjoyed in the New Jersey Section of the Palisades Interstate Park. More information regarding the Palisades Interstate Park can be obtained by visiting their website www.njpalisades.org. Historical artifacts pertaining to the GWB can be viewed at the Fort Lee Museum in NJ.
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