Hurricane Helene took so much from Western North Carolina, with the destruction of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge becoming a poignant symbol of the region’s loss.
It all started with a plan to save the existing historic bridge, which had been constructed in 1925 and was no longer suited for vehicular traffic, from demolition. It was initially intended simply as a pedestrian walkway, until Lake Lure resident William Miller proposed a transformative idea.
Once Miller’s vision came to light, Flowering Bridge opened in 2013. For more than a decade, it attracted locals and tourists alike to the picturesque attraction covered in shrubs and flowers…