ON THE HUDSON – Governor Andrew Cuomo was the first to drive across
the westbound span of the new Tappan Zee Bridge that will bear the name
of his late father, Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge on Friday morning.
The bridge opens to motorists Friday evening.
He drove in a 1955 Corvette with his mother, Matilda Cuomo. The first
TZ Bridge opened in that year.
In the fall, the eastbound bridge span will be open with the entire project
to be completed next year.
It comes 62 years after the first structure was completed.
The new bridge is being constructed with 100 percent union labor, noted
state AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento.
The toll on the bridge, at $5 roundtrip, will stay the same through at
least 2020. Current tolls on the entire New York State Thruway will also
remain the same through the same time period.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said “after 20 years of false starts,”
the new bridge is built complete with bike and pedestrian access.
