ConDig (12-Oct-17).   Developer and contractor Skanska has secured a $452 million deal to revamp the George Washington Bridge (GWB) in New York City.

Under the contract with the Port Authority of New York and Jersey, the company will replace suspender ropes and protective sleeves on the bridge, rehabilitate the main cables, install dehumidification systems for the main cables and their anchorages and replace the main span sidewalks and upper level railings with fencing.

The project also includes constructing approach structures for the main span sidewalks and replacing the roadway lighting on the main span and installing sidewalk lighting.

Work on the project is already underway and is expected to be completed in 2025.

The project forms part of the “Restoring the George” program that comprises a $1.9 billion investment in 11 upgrade schemes that will maintain the structural health of the bridge over the next decade, according to the Port Authority.

The GWB was opened in 1931 and in 2015 alone it is estimated that more than 50.5 million eastbound vehicles traveled across the bridge, making it the busiest bridge in the world.

Earlier this week, Skanska announced that it had landed a $121 million contract to build a manufacturing plant in the western US with an unnamed client.