After four years of construction, the Bayonne Bridge is new — and taller.

One lane of traffic in each direction is now open on the raised roadway.

It stands 215-feet above the water between Staten Island and New Jersey — 64-feet higher than the original bridge.

The elevated deck allows larger ships to reach ports in Elizabeth and Newark.

The bridge is also now equipped with cashless tolling.

One Staten Island resident tells us he drove to the raised deck at 3 a.m., so he could be the first person to go across it.

"This bridge and the others on Staten Island really connect us to the mainland of the rest of the United States," he said. When you think of it, you know we are not part of the continental United States. We are an island. So this is really important and I feel happy to have been a part of this event."

The Port Authority says crews could start tearing down the old bridge deck next week.

The entire project is slated to be complete by 2019.