Mario Cuomo Bridge Fully Opens Saturday Morning

The final span of the Tappan Zee bridge, now named the Mario Cuomo Bridge after the former governor, will be open to traffic Saturday morning. The $4 billion bridge was a pet project of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Mario Cuomo's son.

The opening comes days before a primary election. 

Behind the wheel of Franklin D. Roosevelt's black Packard, Cuomo took an inaugural drive across the new 4-lane east bound span with his mother riding shotgun.

Governor Andrew Cuomo drives FDR's Packard across the east-bound span of the newly completed Mario Cuomo Bridge for an opening day celebration.

(Philip Kamrass/ Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)

 The westbound span opened last year.

Joined by Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Cuomo cut a ribbon, and unveiled a Mario Cuomo plaque.

"He would love the bridge, but he would reject the vanity of the naming," Cuomo said. "I hope whatever you see when you look at this bridge you find it uplifting and inspiring."

The new 3.1 mile cable-stayed span bridge has eight traffic lanes, plus a bike and pedestrian foot path. There are 419-foot towers on the bridge holding up the cables.

The toll will remain frozen at $5 through 2020. But the government watchdog group The Citizens Budget Commission warned that the toll will need to double in order for the state to pay off $2.9 billion in financing.