Watch drone video of New York's new Tappan Zee Bridge
ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. — It's been four years since construction began on the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York, officially to be named the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.
The Rockland County, N.Y.-bound span of the bridge opened Thursday with a ceremony headlined by the current governor, Andrew Cuomo, son of the bridge's namesake. The span will open to traffic Friday night.
The bridge north of New York City crosses the Hudson River and connects Rockland County, N.Y., with Westchester County, N.Y.
The footage atop this story gives audiences a rare glimpse at the new and old bridges, side by side, before the former is deconstructed and removed from the Hudson River.
More: New Tappan Zee: A massive bridge project nears a milestone
The Tappan Zee Bridge opened on Dec. 15, 1955. Connecting Nyack, N.Y., to Tarrytown, N.Y., the bridge is credited with transforming Rockland County into a suburb from a farming community. Toward the end of its tenure, the state Thruway Authority estimated 134,000 vehicles crossed the 3.1-mile span a day.
Cuomo on Wednesday touted the $3.9 billion bridge as being on time and on budget. Officials said the entire project will be done sometime in 2018.
During Thursday's ceremony, Cuomo said the bridge "was done well, it was done professionally and it was done beautifully." He noted the bridge will cost $1 billion less than our estimate." He added, "Our goal was to build a bridge that was artwork and I believe we did."
More: Remains of Tappan Zee Bridge to be scattered across New York
More: N.Y.’s Tappan Zee Bridge renamed for Mario Cuomo
Cuomo crossed the bridge with Armando "Chick" Galella, of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., in a yellow 1955 Corvette. Galella, a World War II vet who survived Pearl Harbor was at the 1955 opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge.
Contributing: Nicholas Tantillo, Matt Coyne, The (Westchester County, N.Y.) Journal News. Follow Michael G. Meaney on Twitter: @MichaelGMeaney
