Hillary Clinton to speak at opening ceremony for Mario Cuomo Bridge

ALBANY — Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will speak at Friday’s opening of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, which replaced the Tappan Zee Bridge, according to a senior official in Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration.

The second span of the $4 billion project is expected to open to traffic overnight Friday into Saturday. That will mean drivers to Westchester County will have four traffic lanes and a bus lane. The bridge will eventually offer a dedicated bus lane to Rockland County, a bicycle route and a walking path.

Clinton’s attendance at the formal opening of the span between Westchester and Rockland counties underscores Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s support by the Democratic establishment as he faces a Sept. 13 primary challenge. Cuomo faces activist and actress Cynthia Nixon, who is appealing to Democratic liberals in the primary, which traditionally is dominated by voters from the left.

Clinton has made few public appearances since her loss to Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race. She most recently attended the memorial service for Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) with her husband, former President Bill Clinton.

By Michael Gormley

michael.gormley@newsday.com@GormleyAlbany

Michael Gormley has worked for Newsday since 2013, covering state government, politics and issues. He has covered Albany since 2001.