LYME — By 11:45 a.m. on Friday, about a dozen cars, one motorcycle and a bicyclist were lined up on both sides of the Lyme-Thetford bridge to cross as it opened at noon.

About a dozen Thetford and Lyme residents were on hand to celebrate the reopening of the Route 113 bridge that connects the two communities after it had been closed for nearly 19-months for major repairs.

“I’m so excited,” said Tara Pacht, who lives with her husband, Jesse, in East Thetford, a few hundred feet from the bridge. “I’ve missed the community over there.”

During the closure in order to cross the Connecticut River, drivers had to detour either about 12 miles north to Bridge Street, the crossing between Orford and Fairlee, or about 18 miles south to Ledyard Bridge between Norwich and Hanover.

At noon sharp, construction worker Nick Conklin of New England Infrastructure Inc., based in Hudson, Mass., removed the “road closed” signs on the East Thetford end of the bridge and Jesse Pacht sped across on his motorcycle.

“When we have a bridge out between the two states it’s a big deal,” said Jesse Pacht, maintenance manager at Long Wind farm in East Thetford. “Interstate commerce is vital to the Upper Valley lifestyle.”

Long Wind’s self service tomato table saw a dip in sales due to a lack of Lyme customers, Pacht said.

The bridge, which saw an estimated 2,200 vehicles cross daily, closed in April 2023 to allow for the $9.5 million rehabilitation project. Built in 1937, the bridge had deteriorating steel and concrete, and was on New Hampshire’s Red List, a list of bridges in need of replacement or major fixes.

Contract administrator Jeffery Potter set the opening time to noon to give the construction crew the morning to do some cleanup without traffic. However, some residents didn’t know about the mid-day opening time.

A little after 10 a.m., eight members of the “Thetford Friday walkers”, a group from the Thetford Elder Network who walk every Friday morning, approached the bridge.

Site Superintendent Ben Rickson, of New England Infrastructure Inc., allowed the walkers to take a few steps onto the bridge, which used to be part of their route.

“It’s really great to be able to do this,” said Shari Gouwens, while looking out over the Connecticut River. “It’s such a beautiful view. I’ve missed it.”

Ursula Austin, one of the walkers, said she was happy the bridge was reopening, but expressed disappointment in the lack of space for pedestrians. “It’s the same bridge,” she said.

The decision to rehabilitate the bridge instead of demolishing it and building a new one came down to a variety of factors, including the bridge’s eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places, a list by the National Park Service of structures and places worthy of preservation said Jennifer Lane, a spokersperson for the New Hampshire Department of Transportation, or NHDOT.

Originally, the bridge was supposed to reopen in October, but last winter, NHDOT, granted the contractor, New England Infrastructure Inc., of Hudson, Mass., a time extension because additional structural steel repairs were uncovered in the cleaning and painting process.

To open by the Friday deadline, Rickson said his crew worked Saturdays for 12 straight weeks.

On Nov. 14, about 30 Lyme residents brought the workers a case of champagne, beer, candy, cards, and even awarded Rickson a key to the town of Lyme.

Lyme resident Peter Webster organized Thursday’s event because “a bridge is hope. A bridge is connection,” he said.

After the bridge opened, many residents gathered at Stella’s Italian Kitchen & Cafe to celebrate with $1 pizza slices and live music.

“I’m so thankful,” said Lyme resident, Betsy McCann who had a “Thank you workers” sign pinned to the back of her coat. McCann said she’s most excited to have a shorter drive to her friends’ houses in Vermont. “The bridge being closed was just a disaster.”

McCann said she would be celebrating by “going to cedar circle and buying a cookie,” since she had not been to t he farm since the bridge closed.

Cedar Circle Farm on Pavillion Road in East Thetford saw revenue losses for its farmstand of about 30% in 2023 and 20% in 2024, said Eric Tadlock, executive director of the nonprofit.

While the bridge is expected to remain completely open to traffic, construction cleanup will continue with crews aiming to wrap up by Thanksgiving.

Emma Roth-Wells can be reached at e rothwells@vnews.com or 603-727-3242.