Thousands of people gathered on both sides of the Hudson River to watch the demolition of the eastern span of the old Tappan Zee Bridge.

Restaurant patrons at the Sambal Thai restaurant in Irvington joined hundreds of other curious residents in a nearby parking lot to watch history unfold before their eyes.

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Sixty-four years after it opened to traffic between Westchester and Rockland counties, one of the last remaining sections of the Tappan Zee bridge was gone in less than 60 seconds.

 

The new $4 billion replacement span was named in honor of former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo. The name choice was not so popular with many onlookers. There's an online petition that now has over 100,000 signatures in support of having Tappan Zee restored into the name of the new span.

Hundreds of people also gathered for a big watch party at Lyndhurst Mansion in Tarrytown.