The George Washington Bridge – known informally as the GW Bridge] the GWB, the GW,[or the George– is a double-decked suspension bridge spanning the Hudson River between the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City and Fort Lee, New Jersey. As of 2016, the George Washington Bridge carried over 103 million vehicles per year, making it the world's busiest motor vehicle bridge. It is owned by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a bi-state government agency that operates several bridges, tunnels and airports, as well as marine seaports, and the PATH rapid transit system. Construction on the bridge began in October 1927 as a project of the Port of New York Authority. The bridge's chief engineer was Othmar Ammann, with Cass Gilbert as architect. Photo by Carol Highsmith, 2017.