Connecting South Huntsville's greenway loop

The Tennessee River Greenway between Bell Mountain Park and Green Cove Road is nearly complete and ready for a good walk in the woods.

Why it matters: It's the latest investment — $1.5 million — in Huntsville's ever-expanding greenway network, which totals around 50 miles and which the city sees as a key growth driver.

Zoom in: The greenway section connects the Haysland Road area, already criss-crossed with greenways and growing quickly in new housing, with the riverfront and Ditto Landing.

• It also completes a 15-mile loop of nearly all greenway circling a huge portion of South Huntsville, from the Tennessee River to as far north as Weatherly Road.

The latest: The opening comes as another section of the Tennessee River Greenway closes for the construction of a 450-space parking lot as part of Ditto Landing's event center project.

• That portion of the greenway closed June 29, per an announcement from the city, amid grading, drainage and related site work, and is expected to reopen in September.

💭 Derek's thought bubble: I live in the neighborhood next to this new greenway section, and I'm pretty excited about what it means for walks with the kiddos, once it cools off a bit.

• I walked a bit of the section Monday, encountering three cyclists, two runners and one fellow walker around lunchtime.

• I found it a nice walk. It gets into the woods quickly, reminding me of the Tollgate Greenway in that sense, as opposed to other greenways that parallel roads or otherwise stay close to busier areas.

• It also has its own swampy views offering more scenery than I was expecting for such a flat, wooded area.

What we're watching: While people are already taking advantage of the greenway, Kelly Schrimsher, communications director with the city, tells Axios that contractors have about 30 days of work left, after which an official ribbon cutting will be scheduled.

More from Axios: Greenways lead to growth in Huntsville