Bids for the Manhattan suspension tower were advertised in March 1928. At this point, 64% of the total projected worth of construction contracts had been awarded. The piers that provided foundation for the New Jersey suspension tower and approaches were being constructed. The cliffs on both sides of the river were high enough that only minimal bridge approaches were required on either side. The towers' foundations could reach at most below mean low water, where the foundations would hit a layer of solid rock. In May 1928, builders started drilling a cut through the Palisades on the New Jersey side so that the Hudson River bridge approach could be built. By June 1928, half of the money earned during the previous year's $20million bond sale had been spent on construction. By that October, nearly all blasting operations had been completed. The suspension tower on the New Jersey side had been constructed to a height of , and the tower on the New York side was progressing as well. The suspension towers consisted of 13 segments, each of which were almost 50 feet high.