The shared bicycle-pedestrian path on the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge is now open to the public.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo marked his late father's birthday by opening the shared use path with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"He would be very proud today," says Cuomo. "I miss him very much. I miss him everyday, but in a lot of ways he's still with me."

The idea with the path is for it to be an attraction like the High Line in Chelsea or the Walkway over the Hudson in Poughkeepsie.

A plaza just off South Broadway is called the Westchester Landing and it's where bikers and pedestrians will now come to get incredible views from above the Hudson River and get from Westchester to Rockland County by going over the bridge path.

The 3.6-mile path, which is painted a bright blue, is 12 feet wide and stretches from the Westchester Landing in Tarrytown to the Rockland Landing in South Nyack.

There are six scenic overlooks, called belvederes, that will have seating and Wi-Fi. There are restrooms at both ends of the bridge, but not on the path itself. The entire path is under video surveillance by state police.

"There's so much history here in this region and with this river each of these belvederes gives specific information relative to different aspects of this region," says Matthew Driscoll, of the New York State Thruway Authority.

Several food trucks have won bids from the state to set up at both ends of the bridge and there is a bike rental shop in South Nyack. 

The rules of using the path are posted at the landings.

Visitors are asked to wear masks and practice social distancing. Another restriction to note  - there are no pets allowed unless it's a service dog.

Gov. Cuomo said the path would be illuminated in blue Monday night in honor of his father.