Padanaram has undergone a quick transformation in just the past five years, and now closely resembles the bustling community state representative Chris Markey (D-Dartmouth) remembers growing up in the 1980s.

“It’s really become an area -- this summer in particular -- where people congregate,” Markey said. “They had a Padanaram Village Festival about two and a half weeks ago, and that was spectacular.”

It’s no secret the renovated Padanaram causeway and bridge helped make that possible. And on August 16, Markey, town and state leaders, and Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov Karyn Polito gathered on the causeway for the ceremonial ribbon cutting.

The causeway officially reopened to traffic on June 11 after a two-year, $8.2 million renovation project to improve its roadway, drainage, structural, and lighting systems, but the belated ceremony included speeches touting the town-state partnership which made it all possible.

“I just want to say, and I know for everyone, this probably felt a lot longer than two years,” Baker said. “To all of you, I would just say I appreciate your collaboration and cooperation, because without it, this wouldn’t have been possible.”

The town-state partnership is far from over, as Select Board Chairman Shawn McDonald noted. In addition to a maritime center funded mostly through a state grant, officials are working on the much-awaited realignment of Tucker Road.

The MassDOT and town project would route Tucker Road through the North Dartmouth Library and a shopping plaza to a new four-way signalized intersection with Route 6 and Hathaway Road.

“Today, not only do we celebrate a successful project, we celebrate and acknowledge a successful partnership between the Commonwealth and the Town of Dartmouth under this administration, and one that will continue to improve our infrastructure throughout the town, the region, and the Commonwealth," McDonald said.

MassDOT Secretary Stephanie Pollack highlighted the renovated causeway’s commitment to serving all forms of transportation -- wide sidewalks for pedestrians, “sharrows” for cyclists, and, of course, the roadway for cars.

“That’s what we’re trying to do with all of our projects is remember that the world is not pedestrians and bicyclists and drivers, it’s people and families who are just trying to get where they’re going,” Pollack said.

The day marked Polito’s second visit to Padanaram in as many years. Last June, she got a tour of the village and the harbor to learn about the then-$1 million state grant approved to fund the construction of the new maritime center -- a project which will begin on Monday.

She touted the state’s commitment to helping the town’s 78 coastal communities develop its coastal infrastructure through the Seaport Economic Council, which has granted $30 million in funds to communities recently.

Markey ended the speeches with one final thought: the vital importance the causeway is to Dartmouth. When it was closed, complaints poured in about congestion along the detour route, especially in front of the nearby Dartmouth High School during school hours. Markey said it demonstrated just what the causeway means to the community when it was left without it.

“In essence, this really is the artery of South Dartmouth,” Markey said.