State and city officials mark completion of Boston’s Frances Appleton Pedestrian Bridge

The final touches have been put on the Frances Appleton Pedestrian Bridge and it is open to the public. Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff/Globe Staff

Massachusetts Department of Transportation workers put the final touches of landscaping around the Frances Appleton Pedestrian Bridge in Boston, which state and city officials dedicated Tuesday, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said in a statement.

The bridge is adjacent to the Longfellow Bridge on the Boston side of the Charles River. It was named after Frances Appleton, who was married to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a legendary poet who died in 1882. Her husband walked across the bridge, which was later named after him, to get to Appleton’s house while they were courting, according to the New England Historical Society.

“We look forward to residents and visitors using this bridge so that they can walk, run, or ride along the Charles River for many years to come,” Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in the statement.

The 750-feet-long bridge, which opened in fall 2018, replaced a lower pedestrian bridge.

Polito, Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver, and other officials attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion, the statement said.

“This pedestrian bridge is an important link to the recreational opportunities and natural beauty of the Esplanade and the Charles River,” Pollack said in the statement.

Francis Appleton, Frances’ descendant, attended the ceremony, MassDOT said.