A damaged section of Route 184 in Mystic finally reopened Wednesday, after being closed for more than eight months.
A devastating flood destroyed a small bridge along that stretch of road March 30.
More than eight inches of rain fell, damaging roads and hundreds of homes in Old Mystic.
Stores in a shopping plaza near the bridge say their businesses have been hurt because traffic has had to be detoured during the closure.
Grace Lewis, who works at "Somewhere in Time" restaurant, says business is making a comeback..
"We had a lot of people in here this morning and people were clapping and cheering we felt like we wanted to take a bottle of champagne and crack it open because its been a long eight months," Lewis said.
Restaurant patron Cinda Lewis says "We're very happy it makes it more convenient to get here we're regular customers."
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Others were surprise to see the road had reopened.
"I said wow it must be opened. I went straight forward and here we are. Been waiting for this moment its been a long time," Charles Shockley, owner of Mystic Tile and Carpet said.
The part of the bridge that was destroyed was 75 years old. The new bridge has a much wider opening underneath, now 50 feet, compared to 15 feet when it collapsed.
The bridge cost $2 million to build. Most of the costs were federally funded.
