After more than a decade of planning and construction, a man-made whitewater course on the Chattahoochee River will soon open.

The course, which is expected to attract adventurers from around the South, will open May 25. Business and civic leaders on Thursday announced the opening date during a ceremony on a pedestrian bridge overlooking the river.

The course was created by breaching downtown dams on the Chattahoochee. The river forms the Alabama-Georgia state line and separates the downtown areas of Columbus and Phenix City, Ala.

Uptown Columbus Inc. President Richard Bishop said the ongoing course construction in the river would be complete by the opening day, but there will still be work on roads and other points along the river's edge.

Tags: Chattahoochee River, whitewater, whitewater rafting, whitewater rafting course, Whitewater Columbus, uptown columbus