Alabama Power was among the community partners recognized as Birmingham and Jefferson County leaders cut the ribbon on a four-mile extension of the city’s civil rights trail.

The civil rights trail extension is just the first piece of 29 miles of walking and biking trails and sidewalks that are expected to be completed by the end of this year – all part of the quickly expanding Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System being constructed across Jefferson County.

The extension connects the downtown portion of the civil rights trail to new sections that have been completed in the Smithfield, East Thomas and Enon Ridge neighborhoods. Interpretive signs tell of the events and the individuals from those communities who played important roles in the city’s civil rights struggle.

Dozens of hikers and bicyclists, as well as residents from the neighborhoods, joined Birmingham Mayor William Bell and other leaders on Saturday to celebrate the opening of the civil rights trail extension and to enjoy a walk or bike ride on the trail. Sunny skies and balmy spring temperatures made for perfect conditions to enjoy the trail extension.

Alabama Power was part of the coalition of public and private partners that supported the city’s federal grant application designed to help rebuild areas of the city damaged by the 2011 tornadoes, as well as expand walking and biking trails. The city was awarded the highly competitive grant, which will result in a $15 million impact in combined federal and local matching dollars.

The long-term master plan for Red Rock Ridge and Valley Trail System, of which the civil rights trail is a part, proposes more than 200 miles of shared-use greenways and trails along six main corridors in Jefferson County, as well as more than 600 miles of street-based bicycle and pedestrian pathways. The system will ultimately connect the county’s major parks and recreation sites, and provide safe routes for people to walk or bike to work, school and to businesses across the county. The system is also expected to increase opportunities for Jefferson County residents to improve their health by using the trail network for recreation and exercise while also boosting recreation-based tourism and economic development.