The reopening of the Longfellow Bridge after five long years of construction was welcomed by grateful commuters.

“I’m really happy it’s finished,’’ said 33-old Perrin Braun, a Central Square Square resident. “I feel like it’s been very dangerous for the past five years for cyclists. The inbound bike lane had been eliminated entirely, and there had been no traffic-calming measures for cars . . . so everyone was kind of sharing one small lane.’’

The finished product boasted two vehicle lanes into Boston, one to Cambridge, and a protected bike lane on either side. The historic salt-and-pepper towers gleamed in the sun, and the smooth pavement beckoned.

“It’s a good time of year for it to be happening, because it’s warm and people will be out biking and walking,’’ said Charlie Keating during a walk over the Longfellow.

Drivers also spent Thursday pleasantly surprised with the turnout, with hardly any buildup on the bridge or in the ever-jammed rotary leading into it.

“It was very smooth today,’’ said Christina Leber, 32, who drives to work every day. “But I think it might be too early to tell.’’

However, some cyclists such as Braun said they would have preferred to see more room for bikes and less for cars, with greater protections than the thin pylons that separate the two.

“Those posts seem like they could just be run over,’’ said Devin Dicristofaro. “If you’re going to go through the effort of keeping the historic character, you should decide to make it useful to people who use things other than cars. . . . I feel like I’m still going to avoid it and go for a safer route.’’

The state expects to continue on cleanup and finishing touches into the summer, such as resurfacing the MBTA tracks to allow Red Line trains to run at full speed, said Transportation Department spokesman Patrick Marvin.

Elise Takahama can be reached at elise.takahama@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @elisetakahama.