ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - The first span of the new Tappan Zee Bridge is set to open August 25.
The office of Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the date Thursday and said the second span should open next year.
Westbound and northbound traffic will be shifted onto the new bridge first.
When complete, the $4 billion structure will replace the aging Hudson River bridge linking Rockland and Westchester counties.
Lawmakers and Cuomo agreed earlier this summer to name the new bridge after the governor’s father, the late Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo. The existing bridge was formally known as the Gov. Malcolm Wilson Tappan Zee Bridge.
Cuomo says the opening of the first span will relieve traffic congestion while sending a message that New York is investing in tomorrow’s infrastructure following decades of stagnation.
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