State officials announced Tuesday the second span of the Mario M. Cuomo Bridge will open this Saturday, if weather cooperates.

The lanes headed toward the Westchester side were originally scheduled to open sometime this fall — but that schedule moved up.

A state Thruway Authority leader says the bridge is an important economic tool for New York.

"People are going to experience a very efficient highway that is also going to be quicker for them as well. This bridge, you'll see loads of, over 50 million people a year that will utilize the bridge, that's why it's so important, frankly, to the entire state of New York," said New York State Thruway Executive Director Matt Driscoll.   

The Mario M. Cuomo Bridge opened August 2017, with four lanes open on the Rockland-bound part of the bridge.