The Heritage Trail, which spans 21 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers, will receive a vital missing piece, between the 31st Street Bridge and Millvale, by the end of September.
"Even though it will only be about a half mile long, I can't emphasize how critical it is, because it's a crucial link between the City and Millvale as the trail moves up the Allegheny," says Thomas Baxter, executive director of
Friends of the Riverfront. Friends of the Riverfront are the project managers, and have been working closely with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on the project. Michael Baker Engineering Inc. designed the trail, and it was built by Brayman Construction.
The reason this segment is so crucial is due to the danger of cycling or walking along Route 28, where the new segment of the trail is being built. While most trails in Pittsburgh tend to meander along the river banks, the new part of the Heritage Trail will actually be a long bridge structure, emphasizing both safety and the most scenic views of the Allegheny River.
The trail expansion is part of the Route 28 Relocation project, which the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and Friends of the Riverfront have been planning for two years. "It's really important we build now," says Baxter. "Not only is this the right thing to do, but also there is a tremendous economy of scale by doing both projects at the same time."
The cost of both projects is $5 million, and many of the construction materials purchased overlap both projects, so it's difficult to gauge exactly how much is being spent on the trail alone, but it is roughly $2.8 million. Funding for the project comes from private sources, such as The Laurel Foundation and The Richard King Mellon Foundation, as well as from public sources, including the DCNR and DCED.
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Source: Thomas Baxter, Executive Director of Friends of the Riverfront
Writer:
John Farley