The floating sea bridge is now officially open on the Halifax waterfront.

Officials had hoped to have it in place by Canada Day, but the project was delayed.

The 520-foot floating dock opened to pedestrians on Saturday. It connects between the Cable Wharf South Side and the Museum Wharf North, where the CSS Acadia is berthed.

The structure allows pedestrians to walk the waterfront near the construction zone for the Queen’s Marque development, which has closed a section of the boardwalk.

"This is really a comeback to my walk,” said one pedestrian on Monday. “When it stopped, it was devastating to me. Now, I can do the complete loop and I love it."

"I think we need to take Gravol before we walk on this thing,” said another pedestrian. “I’m getting seasick. It's great, great to connect, but it's tippy."

Bicycles are allowed on the sea bridge, but they must be walked across. It's also wheelchair accessible, with two staff members on either side of the bridge to offer assistance, especially during low tide when the gangway is steep.

"It’s the first time I’m on it and it's a little rocky, but it's doable,” says one wheelchair user.

According to the Waterfront Development website, the floating sea bridge will be open seasonally as often as possible, but it may close due to weather conditions, sea state, or construction.

"When particular things are happening on the construction site adjacent, there will be a requirement to close the bridge for certain periods of time,” says Jennifer Angel with Halifax Waterfront Development.

For now, the bridge will be closing at dusk. Once lights are installed, it is expected to be open from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The bridge took much longer to build than expected at a cost some are calling exorbitant.

"The budget is $850,000; we're pretty close to budget,” says Angel. “We're still making tweaks, so I expect we'll be a little over, in the $10,000-$20,000 range."

"Way too much money, as long as the city didn't pay for it," says one Halifax resident.

The sea bridge is a public space, with funding given to Waterfront Development from the provincial government. 

Waterfront Development says the sea bridge will remain in place during the construction of the Queen’s Marque development, which is expected to be complete in 2019, and then be repurposed for marina-related uses.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Suzette Belliveau.