Westside Parkway's final phase opens to drivers

The freshly strewn wood chips along its broad shoulders are a little browner, the drought-resistant seed cover on its median a little more tan, and its chain link fences much more silvery.
But the drive along the Westside Parkway's final two miles between Allen Road and the intersection of Stockdale Highway and Heath Road -- which opened to traffic late Wednesday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting -- offers very much the same smooth ride as its first five miles.