Ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held Tuesday evening to mark the official opening of the second phase of the Monument Valley Pathway in Scottsbluff from Riverside Park to Western Nebraska Community College.
The ribbon-cutting was on the new pedestrian bridge spanning Highway 26 north of the 23 Club Baseball Complex, the final piece of a project more than a decade in planning and construction.
The Monument Valley Pathway originally connected Scotts Bluff National Monument and Riverside Park via Gering, Terrytown, and the YMCA. The idea for the second phase to WNCC came from the Scottsbluff Parks, Cemetery, and Tree Board.
Scottsbluff City Manager Dustin Rief told the ribbon-cutting audience that the project took the patience, work and tenacity of a lot of individuals through the years to keep going after grants and eventually completing “an amazing project.”
The entire Monument Valley Pathway now runs nearly 15-miles from Scotts Bluff National Monument to WNCC. A third phase from the college to the YMCA has been discussed, but there’s no timeline on when or if it will be built.