The George Washington Bridge to close Saturday, Oct 5, through Sunday due to emergency response drill

New York, U.S.A., 2013-10-03 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will conduct a full-scale emergency response drill on the lower level of the George Washington Bridge beginning Saturday night, October 5, at 9 p.m. and ending on Sunday morning at 8 a.m. During those hours, the lower level of the George Washington Bridge will be closed to all traffic. Commuters using the bridge during these hours must use the upper level.

The exercise is part of the agency’s ongoing drills, which enable the Port Authority Police Department, agency personnel and other emergency responders to test and enhance response procedures. Members of the public may notice smoke conditions and emergency vehicles as part of the drill.

Drill participants include the NYPD, FDNY, Fort Lee, Englewood Cliffs and Bergen County police departments, the New Jersey State Police, the FBI and the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police Department.

For up-to-the-minute traffic updates at all Port Authority crossings, motorists are encouraged to sign up for Port Authority alerts at http://www.paalerts.com/.

CONTACT: Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 212-435-7777

Founded in 1921, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey builds, operates, and maintains many of the most important transportation and trade infrastructure assets in the country. The agency’s network of aviation, ground, rail, and seaport facilities is among the busiest in the country, supports more than 550,000 regional jobs, and generates more than $23 billion in annual wages and $80 billion in annual economic activity. The Port Authority also owns and manages the 16-acre World Trade Center site, where construction crews are building the iconic One World Trade Center, which is now the tallest skyscraper in the Western Hemisphere. The Port Authority receives no tax revenue from either the State of New York or New Jersey or from the City of New York. The agency raises the necessary funds for the improvement, construction or acquisition of its facilities primarily on its own credit. For more information, please visit http://www.panynj.gov.

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