CARRABASSETT VALLEY — The new recreational bridge opens to the public following a brief ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10.

The 110-foot bridge spanning the Carrabassett River next to the town airport property is part of a multi-use plan.

It will provide access to snowmobile and ATV trails, to the Narrow Gauge Pathway and to the Maine Huts and Trails network.

From the Black Fly Parking Lot Trailhead, snowmobiles, ATVs, bicycles, hikers and cross-country skiers can gain access to trails on the west side of Route 27 to trails and huts on the east side of the Carrabassett River.

The town received a $100,000 grant for the multipurpose bridge project from the Department of Conservation earlier this year. Voters approved the use of $19,000 from the town’s Recreational Endowment Funding, and the J.V. Wing Snowmobile Club committed $6,000 for a matching $25,000 for the grant. The anticipated cost of the bridge project was $125,000.

The Penobscot Indian Nation, the Carrabassett Inn and the J.V. Wing Snowmobile Club also donated right of easements for the project.

Those accessing the bridge are asked to use the new driveway off Route 27 between the J.V. Wing Snowmobile Clubhouse and the Carrabassett Inn to reach the parking area. The public is asked not to use the Huse Mill Road for this purpose.