

The first Carmageddon at the Mulholland Bridge in 2011 (Photo by noeltykay via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)

Hallelujah! After nearly three years of construction and us tearing our hair out over horrendous traffic on the Westside, the Mulholland Bridge finally opened today.

Drivers were allowed to pass through the Mulholland Bridge over the 405 Freeway in the Sepulveda Pass starting at 6 a.m., according to CBS Los Angeles. The construction for the new bridge sparked two Carmageddon freeway closures both in 2011 and 2012 when the old bridge was being demolished, reported KPCC. However, the freakout about the gridlock kept motorists at home with no major traffic on the roads.

The new bridge is upgraded and now 10 feet wider than the one built back in 1959. "It's been a lot of patience for the people who live in this area, and we really thank them for that," Paul Gonzales of Metro told KABC. "This bridge is now a world-class bridge. It's longer, it's wider, it's more seismically safe, and most importantly, it has room underneath it for the carpool lanes being constructed."

Just look at those cars on that empty road: