(WHTM) – At one point, cars, trucks, and motorcycles crossed the Sheepford Road Bridge every day. Now, it’ll be used a lot differently, but it will live on after the community came together to save it.

“It’s a simple history as part of our heritage as part of history that’s simple,” said Don Paul Shearer President of West Shore Historical Society.

Built in 1877, the Sheepfold Road Bridge closed in January 2020, after inspectors said it wasn’t safe for vehicles to drive over it anymore, But the community around Yellow Breeches Creek refused to let the bridge go.

“We’d like it to be a place where people from the community like to come and have some peace and serenity. It’s beautiful all season long, every season so we’d like to be able to come down sit learn about the history of the bridge and things like that,” said Janice Lynx, the group’s Executive Director ‘ Executive Director

The 114-foot bridge crosses the yellow Breeches at the border of York and Cumberland counties. And thanks to the “Save Our Bridge” campaign, it will live on as a pedestrian bridge.

“It means even more because four years ago nobody even knew about this bridge. We all came together and we put this bridge on the map and now if you Google the Sheepford Road Bridge you’ll see a lot of coverage from all the many things that we did,” said Lynx.

The company Energy Transfer pitched in $10,000 to the cause to go along with $1.4 million from PennDOT to preserve the bridge and help it evolve into its new form. Now, it can remain a part of the local culture for another century.

“As we expanded it became more important to people because of history people love history but they have to be aware of it recognition of something is the first step,” Don Paul Shearer President, West Shore Historical Society.

To celebrate the restoration project, a time capsule was buried next to the bridge and will be opened in 25 years.