SHELBURNE FALLS, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The Shelburne Falls Bridge of Flowers has officially reopened after a ribbon cutting ceremony Monday afternoon with well over a hundred gathered to hear from state and local officials on the project.

In attendance for the ceremony was Representative Natalie Blais, Senator Paul Mark, several members of the Bridge of Flowers Committee and gardeners, members of Northern Construction, LLC, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Interim Secretary Ashley Stolba of Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development, engineers from Tighe & Bond, the Shelburne Falls Water District, and many community members and tourists.

The unique $3.2 million project brought the community together to secure funding and complete a restoration on the 117 year-old former trolley bridge with upgraded and new elements such as a marker displaying the townline between Shelburne and Buckland.

Several speakers commented on the Bridge of Flowers as a major, well-known attraction that not only serves as the heart of local tourism and businesses, but as a symbol for the state and the year without the Bridge of Flowers was a challenge the community rose to, making it a “Village of Flowers,” beyond the bridge itself.