Among the dignitaries who helped Murphy cut the ribbon were a group from the Steelworkers Organization of Active Retirees. Wear something other than a red jumpsuit when jogging on it. The asphalt pathway continues along the rim of the city's new Second Avenue commuter parking lot. To the left is a sea of parked cars. To the immediate right, behind a high fence, are the outbound lanes of the Parkway East.
Signs advise walkers and joggers to use the shoulders, leaving the pavement for bikers and skaters.
On both sides, cars and tractor-trailers on the Parkway East roar by, drowning out all other sound, including the music blasting from a stereo headset. Ahead, in the distance, is the Birmingham Bridge. The trail is almost pancake flat, sloping almost imperceptibly down on its way toward the Birmingham span. The bridge is near the one-mile mark. The trail passes beneath its main span and connecting ramps, and over a small bridge above Brady Street.