The mayors of South Bend and Mishawaka met up today to unveil the completed Northside Trail along St. Joseph’s River.

The ribbon has been cut and the three-mile path from Howard Park to the eastern city limits at Logan Street is open.

The final phase of the trail started back in April and cost a total of $1.6 million. The new section of the Northside Trail features a 10-foot wide concrete path with views of the river and the bridges that cross it.

The project also included restoration of historic stonewalls from the 1930s.

Cecil Eastman, a resident of St. Joe is a fan of the new path, “Well this is wonderful because I love the idea of being able to ride safely, out of the way of traffic, to enjoy the beauty of the river, which as the mayor said they're putting a lot of effort into refurbishing and revitalizing the river. So this is a beautiful thing.”

According to South Bend’s mayor, Pete Buttigieg, “We hope to have more and more trails coming together. We're very proud of the designation we have as a bicycle friendly community. That's a pretty special thing, and it attracts a lot of people to the area.

Community leaders hope to someday extend the project into Niles and create a 22-mile Michiana Bikeway across the Indiana-Michigan state line.