NORTHFIELD — Town officials are continuing to push to reinvigorate the Schell Bridge reconstruction project, having recently met with state and federal legislators, key stakeholders from state departments and local groups.

The proposed project consists of the complete replacement of the Schell Bridge, named after Francis R. Schell, a New York merchant who gave $42,000 for the bridge’s design and construction. The bridge, carrying East Northfield Road over the river, opened in 1903 and has been closed since 1985 because it deteriorated beyond being safe to use. It links two sections of Northfield, as the town is the only one in Massachusetts that is divided by the Connecticut River.

“It was a great chance to have these stakeholders come back out and see why it’s important to the town,” Town Administrator Andrea Llamas said of a September tour of the bridge. “It was really a chance to talk about the project, what’s going well … where we are in terms of funding, where we are in terms of design.”

The state Department of Transportation gave an update about the redesign process, intended to lower the cost of rebuilding the bridge. Cost has been an ongoing challenge for the project, which is currently estimated to cost $61.35 million. Of that, $36.36 million has been secured, according to Northfield’s Grant Development Director Leslie Roberts. The state has made numerous appeals to state and federal officials seeking funding support.

Llamas explained that once MassDOT finishes rebuilding the Schell Bridge, the town would then transfer ownership to the Department of Conservation and Recreation. Selectboard member Barbara “Bee” Jacque added that this would mean the loss of a $10 million liability for the town.

While a new bridge, which could take up to three years to build, would be primarily intended for pedestrians and bicyclists, it would also allow for increased efficiency for first responders in the event of emergencies that require getting to the other side of the river. Replacement, a subject of town advocacy for decades, would also eliminate the threat that the existing, deteriorating bridge could collapse into the Connecticut River.

“I thought it was helpful to re-engage because this has been going on for so long,” Jacque said. “We had great representation from all the legislators, federal and state.”

The Sept. 9 visit included a tour of the bridge and visits to local businesses. Other stops included the Pauchaug Boat Ramp, Riverview Picnic Area, Cameron’s Winery and The Brewery at Four Star Farms. At each stop, selected participants spoke about the link between the bridge and existing bikeways through Franklin County, Vermont and New Hampshire, as well as the ways the bridge could spur economic development in Northfield and Franklin County more broadly.

Jacque said a new bridge would be helpful to drawing bike tourists to Northfield. She said these tourists often use Route 142 to travel the region, and aside from the Route 10 bridge — which she described as a “safety issue” — these cyclists are only able to access Northfield by crossing the Connecticut River in Vermont and New Hampshire before coming back south.

Schell Bridge advocacy efforts are continuing in the weeks ahead, with the Friends of Schell Bridge’s annual meeting set for Saturday, Nov. 2, at 9 a.m. at The Brewery at Four Star Farms. The meeting will include coffee and refreshments, election to the Friends’ board of directors, and a visit from state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol.

Additionally, survey has gone out to Northfield residents, inviting them to provide feedback about the process of selecting a bridge redesign. The survey can be found at tinyurl.com/SchellFuture.