Complete George: Bergen Freeholders call for wider George Washington Bridge paths as part of upcoming reconstruction
Bergen Freeholders call for wider George Washington Bridge paths as part of upcoming reconstruction.
to call upon the Port Authority to widen the GWB’s bicycle-pedestrian paths to comply with national standards as part of the upcoming $1.9 billion restoration.
“The Port Authority’s planned renovation project presents a unique opportunity to build FHWA, AASHTO and ADA compliant sidewalks to safely and comfortably accommodate today’s pedestrians and bicyclists and those expected to use the bridge in the decades to come.”
Bergen joins 53 North Jersey municipalities concerned with the impact to regional tourism, public health, sustainability and resiliency from maintaining the 1931-era paths at 7 foot wide between the cables:
Allendale, Alpine, Bergenfield, Bogota, Carlstadt, Cliffside Park, Closter, Cresskill, Demarest, Dumont, East Newark, Edgewater, Elmwood Park, Emerson, Englewood Cliffs, Fair Lawn, Fairview, Fort Lee, Garfield, Glen Rock, Guttenberg, Hackensack, Haledon, Harrington Park, Hasbrouck Heights, Haworth, Hawthorne, Hillsdale, Ho-Ho-Kus, Kearney, Leonia, Little Ferry, Lodi, Mahwah, Midland Park, Montvale, New Milford, North Bergen, Northvale, Norwood, Oradell, Paramus, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ridgefield, Ridgefield Park, Rochelle Park, Saddle River, Secaucus, South Hackensack, Teaneck, Tenafly, West New York
Selected quotes from these municipalities:
“Despite the 23 mile distance (from the GWB), Glen Rock has a surprisingly large number of bicycle commuters and we’d love to see this number grow as each additional biker is potentially one less car on the road.” – Borough of Glen Rock
“We believe that widened GWB paths will enhance sustainability and resilience as well as competitiveness and tourism throughout the region. Widened paths will connect communities on both side of the Hudson river for travel, exercise and commuting.” – Borough of Englewood Cliffs
“We believe that the upcoming $1.9 billion reconstruction, during which the already overcrowded paths will be ripped out and restored, represents the ideal opportunity.” – Borough of Tenafly
“Over the past several years, the Borough has installed bike lanes, promoted bicycle safety and has served as the host community to bicycle races and similar functions. Widening the paths would serve as a perfect complement to improvements and policies that we, and neighboring communities, have implemented.” – Borough of Fort Lee
is an ad hoc coalition of 220 organizations, businesses and communities calling on the PA to widen the GWB paths to comply with national standards as part of the upcoming recabling.
Contact:
Neile Weissman
917 446 6002
