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Port Authority eyes $117M fix to Manhattan roadway where falling debris smashed cars
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 3:50 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 21, 2026 at 4:53 p.m. ET
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By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Oct 21, 2026 at 3:50 p.m. ET
Modified Oct 21, 2026 at 4:53 p.m. ET
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The Port Authority plans to rehab an approach to the George Washington Bridge where large pieces of debris fell from the ceiling in two frightening incidents last May, documents published by the agency show.
The Port Authority's board is set to approve a $117.5 million contract during a meeting Thursday to fix the Trans-Manhattan Expressway, a 0.8-mile tunnel tucked beneath buildings in Upper Manhattan that connects to the bridge’s lower roadway.
A piece of metal fell from the roadway’s ceiling on May 7 in an episode that was caught on camera by a driver who crashed into the debris. Just six days later, a driver was hospitalized with injuries after a chunk of concrete fell from the ceiling onto their car, officials said.
The Port Authority made emergency repairs to the expressway after those incidents, but the new contract aims to shore up the entire structure, including its concrete, steel joints, beams and walls.
“The structural elements at the [Trans-Manhattan Expressway] level have not undergone comprehensive rehabilitation since their original construction,” the Port Authority documents state. The section of the road first opened to drivers in the early 1960s.
The documents stated the agency’s engineers inspected the structure after the incidents in May and “identified deficiencies requiring immediate repairs and the acceleration of previously planned capital rehabilitation work.”
The agency plans to begin construction on the long-term fixes next summer, and plan to wrap the work in 2030, according to the documents.
A Port Authority spokesperson said the agency can’t comment on the project ahead of the agency’s board’s vote on the contract.
Port Authority Executive Director Kathryn Garcia previously explained the falling debris was caused by the cold winter weather earlier this year. She said the infrastructure was deteriorating after months of freezing and thawing.
The contract comes as the Port Authority moves ahead its larger $2 billion effort to upgrade the 95-year-old George Washington Bridge called “Restoring the George.” The agency opened the bridge’s south walk last week as part of that larger restoration program. The agency last year completed a $452 million replacement of the bridge’s original steel suspension ropes.
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new york city
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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