The Moody Bridge opened to pedestrians today at 7 a.m. after the original projected completion date of Feb. 26 was delayed.

The bridge connects the second floor of the Belo Center of New Media to the fourth floor of Communication Center buildings A and B, but its opening was delayed because of needed finishing touches. Hours for the bridge will be 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.

“Our new bridge will help unite our faculty, staff and students, both literally and figuratively, and will become a major new campus landmark,” Jay Bernhardt, dean of Moody College of Communication, said in a statement Monday.

The bridge will not be available for events or gatherings, and hanging banners or posting signs will be prohibited, according to the statement.

Corporate communication senior Marina Guindy said she’s glad the bridge is completed.

“I hated construction because getting over here was really hard,” Guindy said. “Other than that, I feel like it’s really useful because sometimes, it’s really hard to get [between both buildings], and this will make it easier.”

However, the utility of the bridge does not justify the amount of money spent, Guindy said. Construction of the bridge cost $3 million and was part of the $50 million donation from the Moody Foundation of Galveston in October 2013, when the college was given its current name.

“For me not to cross the street? I would say no, that’s not worth it,” Guindy said.

Supply chain management sophomore Jimena Gamboa Bonilla said she enjoys seeing changes to the 40 Acres, such as the sky bridge and Speedway renovation.

“It’s really nice to see new things popping up on campus, even though we still have a lot of the classical buildings, like the six pack, the Tower,” Gamboa Bonilla said. “The University realizes that there’s still a lot of remodeling that needs to be done.”

Bernhardt said this bridge is only the beginning of an effort to unify the College of Communication.

“We must continue building bridges within our college and throughout campus to help our ideas and expertise achieve their maximum reach and impact,” Bernhardt said in a statement.

The official dedication ceremony will be Thursday, March 31 at 4 p.m.

This article has been updated since its initial publication.