The new extension will officially open at 3:30 p.m. at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Darwin Hindman, City Manager Bill Watkins, and Councilman Jason Thornill will speak at the ceremony.

The extension starts north of Vandiver Road, stretches over Bear Creek and connects with Blue Ridge Road. Up until Tuesday, Rangeline and Garth Avenue have been the two roads bridging downtown to the north end.

The 4,100-foot road was added on the Capital Improvement Program in 2005. The extension should be more convenient for Columbia residents. The council says it should also allow for quicker and easier emergency vehicle access. The Providence extension has two lanes, but it could lead to a possible upgrade to four lanes in the future.

The road has a five-foot sidewalk on one side and an 8-foot pedway on the other side with bike lanes. Sidewalks on both sides connect with the Bear Creek Trail below. A new fire department at the corner of Providence and Blue Ridge is scheduled to open next year and make use of the new extension. The project was set to be completed at the end of October, but the wet weather pushed back the construction until now.