Updated 10/02/2010 05:24 PM
New Willis Avenue Bridge Opens To Traffic
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The new Willis Avenue Bridge between Manhattan and the Bronx opened to drivers on Saturday.
The bridge, which officially opened at 7 a.m. Saturday, replaces the 109-year-old "swing" bridge that opened on a pivot to allow marine traffic to pass on the Harlem River.
A July photo of the Willis Avenue Bridge being floated down the East River. Click to enlarge.
The $612 million project is part of more than $5 billion in bridge investments.
The new bridge was floated up the East River in July.
The city Department of Transportation says it will eliminate the old span's tight curves and create more direct connections to the Franklin D. Roosevelt Drive and the Major Deegan Expressway.
The old bridge will be floated to New Jersey in the coming weeks to be recycled.
The Willis Avenue Bridge carries more than 70,000 vehicles a day.