Lit by 246 blue floodlights, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge — the world’s widest cable-stayed bridge — located near the FleetCenter in downtown Boston, was open to pedestrians for the last time yesterday afternoon at the Dedication Public Walk. The bridge is expected to open in late December to vehicles.

The bridge includes two inverted Y-shaped towers to reflect the Bunker Hill Monument, a memorial located in Charlestown to commemorate one of the bloodiest battles of the American Revolution. The bridge also includes 116 cables that are reminiscent of ships’ sails, said Ken Antonucci, a lead field engineer of the Central Artery Project, nicknamed the Big Dig.

“They tried to tie it into Boston’s history,” he said. “It is a beautiful gateway into Boston. You can see it from everywhere.”

Antonucci said he expected half a million people to attend the walk. Because the bridge will be a part of Interstate 93, sidewalks cannot be included in the bridge project, he said.

Jody Kablack of Sudbury brought her two young daughters to the dedication walk so they could have a special memory of the bridge.

“In 50 years, they can tell their grandchildren that they walked across it,” she said.

The bridge is a wonderful achievement in terms of addressing Boston’s traffic issues, said Bob DeSimone, a Boston University graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences Class of 1964.

“They seemed to solve the traffic problem in an aesthetically pleasing way,” DeSimone said.

The Central Artery and Tunnel Project is an attempt by the Massachusetts Transit Authority to alleviate traffic congestion through downtown Boston.

Mike Fitzpatrick, a senior operations engineer for the project, said the 10-lane bridge will open six northbound lanes and four southbound lanes of traffic, replacing the six total existing lanes of I-93 traffic. The Tobin Bridge — a double-deck green metal bridge — has served as the Central Artery for many years.

“Once traffic can go across the new bridge, they can start ripping everything else down,” Fitzpatrick said.

Perry McConnell, an engineering graduate from Tufts University, said he was drawn to the bridge because of its size and complexity.

“It’s cool to see it up close. I have come a few times to see it,” he said.

The bridge compares with other famous landmarks across the country, said Norman Tasgal of Newton.

“It’s up to par with the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Arc in St. Louis,” he said.

Fitzpatrick said the bridge is tied down to bedrock and can withstand an earthquake of level nine on the Richter Scale.

“This bridge isn’t going anywhere,” he said, adding the bridge’s surface of grooved cement is designed to prevent hydroplaning.

John Fabiani of Jamaica Plain said the bridge is a spectacular addition to the city.

“It is a nice way to welcome people into Boston,” he said.