Others will have more info on this, I'm sure, but on a River Rd. ride this morning I discovered the South Side of GWB closed (at 7 AM). An officer there said it would be closed for an indefinite period of time for construction and told me to go to the North side.
Coming from South Manhattan, the North side is reached by continuing North on Fort Washington and turn left just after the underpass for the upper level of the bridge. Stairs to the walkway are there. Seemed as if there was an above average amount of tiny glass and other stuff on the walkway, and there are lots more stairs. A royal pain.
This will be a particular hassle for ENY. Poor timing.
Happy Riding!
David
GWB South Side Closed -- Bring your cleat covers for North Side
Wed, 09/14/2005 - 6:42am
Wed, 09/14/2005 - 6:47am
#1
Three flights up and three flights of steps down. A little cyclocross.
Thu, 09/15/2005 - 6:27am
#2
GWB Stairs on North Side
I went over the north side of the GWB yesterday. It wasn't too bad, but some of the stairways are narrow and that may cause a delay if there is oncoming cycling traffic. I didn't need cleat covers, but I did have to have one hand on the railing and I carried by bike with the other hand. There are bicycle ramps, but I found them harder to use compared to carrying my bike.
Bob
Thu, 09/15/2005 - 11:04am
#3
definitive times and dates
Here's the link to the Port Authorities website that details the GWB's opening and closing hours and dates. Scroll about 2/3 of the way down:
http://panynj.gov/CommutingTravel/bridges/html/gwb.html#pb).
Basically, the south side is closed thru 10/15 and the walkway won't open til 8:00am on Saturdays and Sundays thru the end of Novenber. After that, even they don't know.
It's pretty easy to avoid the stairs on weekends when fewer workers are around. It's not legal, it requires lifting your bike over a 4 foot barrier and you need to be careful of traffic on the entrance and exit ramps.
Thu, 09/15/2005 - 11:23am
#4
Coming back is particularly dangerous as you're riding against traffic which is turning into the ramp from all directions. It's scary. The stairs on the NJ side are metal grating which is not so fun with cleats. I found it all a bit treacherous. Still...could be worse. At least we can get across the bridge.
