A ribbon cutting was held on May 7 for the first three miles of the Proctor Creek Greenway. (Photos courtesy of Stephanie Stuckey Benfield)

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Chief Resilience Officer Stephanie Stuckey, and other city leaders were on hand Monday, May 7, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the first three miles of the Proctor Creek Greenway.

This newly constructed segment of the trail runs from the Bankhead MARTA Station alongside Proctor Creek to the existing West Highlands Trail.

Once complete, the seven-mile Greenway will feature 50 acres of linear park and 400 acres of greenspace. The bike and pedestrian trail will span from Maddox Park and the Atlanta BeltLine Westside Trail to the Chattahoochee River.

Collin Kelley is the executive editor of Atlanta Intown, Georgia Voice, and the Rough Draft newsletter. He has been a journalist for nearly four decades and is also an award-winning poet and novelist.