Port Authority Discloses July Tile Fall in GWB’s New Jersey Access Tunnels as Repair Plan Grows to $26 Million From $8.2 Million

BERGEN COUNTY, N.J. — Port Authority commissioners are scheduled to vote Thursday on a $26 million project to repair the George Washington Bridge’s New Jersey anchorage chamber and the lower-level access tunnels on the New Jersey side. Agency documents disclose that in July 2026, “a section of debonded wall tiles fell onto the access roadway.” Bergen TV could not find any earlier public report of that incident.

The project is proposed and pending a board vote. It has not been authorized.

What the Port Authority is asking for

The proposed resolution is item 9 on the agenda for the Oct. 22 board meeting at 4 World Trade Center: “George Washington Bridge – Priority Rehabilitation of Lower-Level NJ Access Tunnels & Drainage Improvements in NJ Anchorage Chamber – Project Authorization.” Public committee meetings begin at 12:30 p.m., and the board meeting is expected at about 12:45 p.m., according to the revised agenda dated Oct. 16. The meeting will be live-streamed on the Port Authority’s website.

According to the staff report:

• The anchorage chamber houses “structural components associated with the anchorage of the GWB main suspension cables.”
• The lower-level New Jersey access tunnels enclose “the interface with New Jersey roadways at the lower level.”
• Through its maintenance and inspection programs, the agency found that elements such as ceramic tiles “had degraded due to water infiltration.”

The report does not say where in the tunnels the tiles fell or whether anyone was hurt.

From $8.2 million in the capital plan to $26 million

The Port Authority’s 2026–2035 Capital Plan lists the work as project CB04-420, “Lower-Level New Jersey Access Tunnels Priority Rehabilitations & Drainage Improvements,” with $8.2 million budgeted for 2026–2030. The plan anticipated construction in 2029 and 2030, according to the staff report.

The cost grew after crews removed deteriorated wall tiles, staff wrote: “previously concealed conditions were exposed that revealed more extensive deterioration than originally anticipated, resulting in increased project costs and the need for a longer construction duration.” Staff identified an additional $17 million from the agency’s State of Good Repair Provision to supplement the capital plan funding.

Under the proposal, the Port Authority would:

• remove and replace drainage structures, trough, pipes and supporting brackets
• install supplemental drainage catch basins and pipes
• replace two access manhole frames and covers
• rehabilitate the walls and ceilings of the access tunnels

Design began in the second quarter of 2026 and is expected to be finished in the second quarter of 2027. Construction would then start and run until the first quarter of 2030, according to the report.

How the $26 million breaks down

The resolution would authorize Executive Director Kathryn Garcia to award the construction contract “pursuant to a publicly advertised request for proposals.” No contractor is named.

One of four GWB authorizations Thursday

The item is one of four George Washington Bridge project authorizations on Thursday’s agenda, which together total about $284 million:

• $117.5 million to rehabilitate structural elements of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway in Manhattan
• $70 million to rehabilitate part of the bridge’s steel upper deck
• $26 million for the New Jersey anchorage chamber and access tunnels
• $70.9 million for the bus station’s North and South Bus Parking Bridges over Broadway in Manhattan

Staff cite incidents in May 2026, including falling concrete along the Trans-Manhattan Expressway approach, in the expressway and upper-deck items. A separate item would authorize $13.5 million in planning and early-action work to replace the intelligent transportation systems at the Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel and George Washington Bridge.

Comment

Bergen TV is seeking comment from Port Authority media relations on where the July tile fall occurred, whether anyone was hurt or any vehicle struck, why the cost rose, and whether drivers should expect lane closures on the New Jersey side during construction. This story will be updated with any response.

The project is proposed and pending a vote of the Port Authority Board of Commissioners on Oct. 22, 2026. It has not been authorized.

Sources

• Port Authority revised public agenda and proposed resolutions, Oct. 22, 2026 (draft dated Oct. 16), item 9
• Port Authority board meeting information
• Port Authority 2026–2035 Capital Plan, project CB04-420