The City of Knoxville held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10 a.m. Thursday, September 29, to officially open the new Papermill Bluff Greenway and a special bench was dedicated to the City's retiring Greenways Coordinator Donna Young.

The new greenway travels nearly a mile across moderately hilly terrain where it runs parallel with Interstate 40 and is visible to drivers. It begins at the corner of Papermill Road and Kirby Road in front of the Red Roof Inn and ends near the Church of the Savior at the corner of Weisgarber and Lonas Drive Road where it connects with the existing Wesigarber Greenway.

While it overlooks the interstate, at its highest points the Papermill Bluff Greenway also features views of Bearden Hill and the Great Smoky Mountains.

The new greenway is a significant addition to the city's greenways system because it provides a key link in the Parks and Recreation Department's long-term plan to develop a commuter greenway running from Middlebrook Pike all the way to Lakeshore Greenway in Lakeshore Park.

The ribbon-cutting was the last greenway opening for Donna R. Young, the City of Knoxville's longtime Greenways Coordinator.

Young joined the city in 1994 when the position was created. At the time the City of Knoxville had one greenway covering less than five miles. Now the city has 64 miles of greenways and trails.