Governor Cuomo, Hillary Clinton Opening the New Mario M. Cuomo Bridge Replacing Tappan Zee

Governor Andrew Cuomo officially inaugurated the second span of the new Hudson River Bridge named after his father, taking the opportunity on Friday to criticize Republican President Donald Trump as "obsessed" with building walls rather than by bridges.

Hillary Clinton, a former presidential candidate and US senator, joined the Westchester County Democrat and resident MP for an event marking the completion of the $ 4 billion Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

The bridge connecting the counties of Westchester and Rockland 30 miles north of New York City replaces the old Tappan Zee Bridge, most of which were demolished. Sections of the old bridge, opened in 1955, are used to build new artificial reefs off Long Island.

The young Cuomo took his mother, Matilda Cuomo, for a pre-ceremony through the span in a restored 1932 Packard cabriolet owned by Franklin D. Roosevelt when he was governor of New York. Cuomo jokingly said that he had to convince his mother to come up with him because she was never a fan of his behavior.

"I said," Mom, there is no one else on the bridge. What could happen? "It took a few minutes, but she hit the road," said Cuomo.

The first span of the new bridge was opened last year, when the structure was named in honor of Mario Cuomo, governor from 1983 to 1994. He died on January 1, 2015.

His son, considered a potential Democratic presidential candidate in 2020, has often criticized Trump, a native New Yorker who beat Clinton in the 2016 elections. In a speech delivered before the inauguration ceremony Clinton praised the state officials who led the construction of the bridge and the 7,000 workers who built the two spans of a length of 3.1 km.

"It is time for the United States of America to review what is being done here in New York and follow this example," she said.

Cuomo said the new bridge, the country's largest infrastructure project, was of "national importance" as it was an example of what the country can accomplish despite deep political divisions.

"This bridge gives us confidence," he said. "At a time when the president is obsessed with his unique goal of building a wall, this bridge stands in a provocative opposition."

The first span currently carries traffic east and west of Interstate 87. Eastbound traffic will be completely moved to the second period on Saturday morning, after the crews have finished plotting the tracks. start Friday night.

Copyright Associated Press / NBC New York