NEW YORK, Aug 23 — The George Washington Bridge in New York, one of the most heavily used spans in the world, was re-opened early today after a suspicious package spotted by a motorist turned out to be just a pipe, authorities and media said.

All lanes of the double-decker bridge were closed around 9pm yesterday (0100 GMT Friday) after a motorist called in to police about a suspicious package, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Twitter. De Blasio urged travelers to seek alternative routes.

Authorities re-opened the bridge around 12.30am to all traffic, the mayor later said.

The New York Post and other media reported that an object that looked like a pipe bomb was spotted by a motorist, forcing the shutdown of the bridge around 9pm.

But the object was found to be inert, with no explosives, media reported.

Authorities re-opened both the lower and upper levels in both directions across the bridge, which links New York with New Jersey over the Hudson River. — Reuters