The final span of the Old Tappan Zee Bridge was lowered and placed on a barge below the new bridge on Tuesday.

It will be recycled as part of the state's largest artificial reef program.

While the old bridge is no longer visible, many in the Hudson Valley say they have a strong connection to it, including a  98-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor from Sleepy Hollow who rode across it in 1955 when the original bridge opened.

"It's really amazing that…I went over the bridge in 1955 and then went over the bridge in 2018, 2019,” says Armando Galella.

The 600-foot long, 5,500-ton west span began being dismantled last week.