Chatsworth Ontario - Thelma Hatten says she feels a deep connection to the historic arched bridge south of the village of Chatsworth.
 
"I'm very happy to see it saved. It was very upsetting that it was going to be destroyed," she said Friday, following a ceremony to celebrate the $600,000 restoration of the county-owned structure.
 
About 75 people, including Hatten, county councillors, and the area's MP and MPP, stood in the cold rain for a ribbon-cutting event at the bridge.
 
It was Hatten's great grandfather William Henry, who, along with two other stone masons, built the structure in 1854.
 
Henry, W. Henderson and John Forbes were recruited to travel from Scotland to what is now rural Chatsworth to build a stone bridge as part of a new rail line, later called the Canadian Pacific Railway.
 
The trio had built numerous bridges on the Edinburgh-Glasgow train line before coming to Canada, Hatten said, so their work was well known.
 
Henry, his wife, and six children boarded a boat on 24 Apr 1854, and arrived in Quebec after a voyage of six weeks and five days, she said.
 
Her grandfather was born later in Canada.
 
Hatten was born in the former Holland Township after her great-grandfather died, but she grew up knowing of her link to the bridge.
 
She has spent time painting pictures of the one-of-a-kind structure.
 
On Friday, she brought a short, handwritten biography of her great-grandfather to share with people.
 
She has also donated money towards the restoration.
 
"It means a lot to me," she said of the preservation.
 
"I felt very badly that machinery travelling on the bridge had caused it to erode over the years."
 
The restoration almost didn't happen.
 
Grey County council initially decided on 3 Jul 2012, to proceed with a least-costly option, which was to spend about $150,000 to demolish the deteriorating brick-and-stone archway, which a consultant had deemed in 2012 as at risk of failing, and install a prefabricated straight span on the original stone base.
 
County council had a change of heart a month later, amid public outcry to save the bridge due to its significance in county and rail history.
 
It voted in May to refurbish the bridge, which is visible from Highway 10, to its original form with the help of new bricks and other materials.
 
About $166,500 of the restoration costs have been covered by a federal Community Infrastructure Improvement Fund grant.
 
The county also used $156,000 from its federal gas tax allocation.
 
The remaining $277,500 is to come out of county property tax revenue, a reserve fund, and community donations.
 
Just over $7,000 had been collected from the public before the reopening.
 
The Dufferin-Grey ATV Club announced a $5,000 donation at the event.
 
Chatsworth Mayor Bob Pringle said donations will continue to be accepted.
 
"Here's a great opportunity for the general public to step up, pledge, and donate," he said.
 
Donations can be made online by visiting www.grey.ca or in person at either the Grey County administration building or Chatsworth municipal office.

Denis Langlois.