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The East River span opened on March 30th, 1909, nearly eight years after construction began.

"The bridge was under construction and pretty much completed and people just couldn't wait any more so the first cars and horses went across the bridge on March 30th without any festivities," explained Sam Schwartz of the New York City Bridge Centennial Commission. "It cost a dime to take your car across and it cost three cents to take you horse across."

An official opening ceremony for the $20 million bridge, the first to connect Manhattan and Queens, was held in June 1909.

"Then it helped unify our great city," said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall. "We were just separate little islands and by hooking up them up together we became the magnificent city we are today."

"And we now have the most diverse city in the world and that's partly because these bridges were able to link together," added Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.

On May 31st of this year, vintage cars will drive over the bridge, kicking off a week-long celebration.

But fundraising has fallen short, so the festivities have been scaled back. For example, plans for a fireworks extravaganza are on hold.

"Hopefully some benefactor will step up and light up the bridge as they did in 1909," said Schwartz. "We're having interpretive dance from Hunter College, somehow they'll show the bridge in some sort of dance form; lectures; we're going to have boat rides. We're going to have walking tours on the bridge. It's going to be very exciting."

For more information, go to www.nycbridges100.org.