A project decades in the making has finally opened to the public.
Three miles of river, 15 miles of hike and bike trails, and more than 20,000 plants greeted visitors at the Mission Reach of the San Antonio River Saturday.
It is just Phase 1 and 2 of the river improvement project. It comes just a few years after the city opened the Museum Reach section of the River Walk north of downtown.
The city, working with the county, the San Antonio River Authority and the Corps of Engineers, has spent the last several years returning the southern section of the San Antonio River to its natural state.
Complete with new vegetation, as well as hike and bike trails, the extension will eventually stretch all the way from the museums north of downtown to the San Antonio Missions.
For those who helped plan this expansion, the undertaking was almost overwhelming.
"I think this portion of the river is for the people of San Antonio, it really is. There are no vendors down here, this is for the people that live and work down here on the south side. So I think as a corps, we're very proud to work with the steak-holders and the city and everyone that made this possible," said Col. R.J. Muraski with the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
Construction of Phase 3 of the Mission Reach is expected to be completed by September 2013.
What can you expect to see along the new sections of the Mission Reach? Check out the slideshow.
