Prince Edward Island officially opened the active transportation pathway on the Hillsborough Bridge to the public Thursday.

Federal, provincial and municipal leaders gathered with Islanders and local organizations for a ribbon cutting in Charlottetown to celebrate the opening, which has been under construction for months. Community members then walked and biked across the path to Stratford.

Local community groups that attended included Cycling P.E.I., Bike Friendly Communities P.E.I., Recreation P.E.I. and P.E.I. Council of People with Disabilities.

In March, Stephen Yeo, chief engineer for the province's Transportation Department, told CBC News the pathway would be open by late May. The path cost $4 million to build, shared between federal and provincial governments.

During the ceremony several people spoke about Josh Underhay, a provincial Green Party candidate, teacher and community volunteer who died in a canoeing accident in 2019. Underhay was a longtime and passionate advocate for active transportion on P.E.I.

Member of Parliament Sean Casey noted Underhay was the first person to approach him about doing this project, in 2017.

"There was a cycling enthusiast, a very energetic young man that came to my office and said, you know, 'we need to step it up in terms of active transportation,'" Casey said. "This project speaks to the passion and the energy of Josh Underhay."

Premier Dennis King agreed.

"This is part of the vision that [Josh Underhay] had for P.E.I.," King said.

"But we shouldn't rest on the fact that this is the only thing that was part of that vision. I think we have a tremendous opportunity as a province to connect all of our communities through active transportation."