THE first phase of the city’s Outer Ring Road Greenbelt is near completion.

It stretches for about 1.6 kilometers between the Suzhou Creek and Beidi Road in Changning, on the west side of the Outer Ring Road.

When complete, visitors will be able to walk along a path and across 10 bridges amid tall trees, shrubs, grasslands, and waterways.

Trees with colorful leaves are being planted in the existing forest to include a mix of red, gold and yellow.

Visitors can watch aircraft takeoff and land at Hongqiao International Airport along a section of the greenbelt.

It is part of the city government’s plan to build 112 kilometers of greenery along the Outer Ring Road. The project, comprising cycle paths, jogging lanes and walkways, is scheduled to be complete by 2020.

The whole Outer Ring Road Greenbelt will connect seven districts — the Pudong New Area, and Baoshan, Jiading, Minhang, Xuhui, Changning and Putuo. Pudong will account for more than half.

The roughly 500-meter-wide green belt on the outer side of the ring road will include a 100-meter wide forest area and 400-meter-wide garden with trees and shrubs, according to the Shanghai Greenery and Sanitation Administration Bureau.

The forest belt surrounding the city is expected to serve as a barrier against air pollution. Camphor, privet, magnolia and yew trees have been selected as most effective. The city government has been building greenbelts along the Outer Ring Road since 1995 to improve the city’s environment.

Some 35.6 square kilometers of green belts, stretching for about 98 kilometers, have been built along the road.

The under-construction project will link up the existing sections.

The newly built greenbelt will also include a dozen large forest parks covering a total of 9 square kilometers.

The first phase of the project in Changning covers about 492,800 square meters.

The 100-meter-wide area between Suzhou Creek and the Hongqiao International Airport had been closed to the public.

Bridges are being built or renovated over creeks to create a continues path.