1st span of Tappan Zee replacement set to open

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The replacement for the Tappan Zee Bridge has been under construction since 2013. One of the spans will open for westbound traffic on August 25.

The 3.1-mile-long bridge over the Hudson River links New York's Westchester and Rockland counties and is the largest infrastructure project in the country. The project cost $4 billion. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said it was under budget and on time.

More than 7,000 people worked on the bridge, which will be named after Cuomo's late father, former Gov. Mario Cuomo. The bridge will have more lanes, less congestion, and is prewired for security equipment including cameras. Cuomo said the bridge was built with steel beams intended to last 100 years.

The first span will be fully operational by Saturday at about 8 a.m. The bridge will fully open sometime in 2018.

The governor said the bridge-naming ceremony will take place next year on or close to his father's birthday, which is June 15.