Twenty five years ago, Pittsburgh had
no urban trail system. Now, thanks to Friends of the Riverfront,
with help from the Sierra Club, Pittsburgh has the Three Rivers Heritage Trail- a network of bike and pedestrian trails running for
37 miles along both sides of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio
Rivers, which is part of a nearly continuous path stretching from
Pittsburgh to Washington D.C.
At the next meeting of the Allegheny
Sierra Club group, on Wednesday, February 11, 7:30 p.m. at Botany Hall,
adjacent to Phipps Conservatory in Oakland, Bob Gangewere of Friends
of the Riverfront will talk about how the trail came into being,
mostly from land that had previously been owned by railroad
companies.
In addition to talking about the
trail's history, he'll also discuss some of Friends of the
Riverfront's current and upcoming projects. The group is working to
expand the trail to the limits of Allegheny County, adding river
access points for launching non-motorized vehicles like canoes and
kayaks, fundraising to finish missing sections of the trail into
Millvale, and completing a study of the Allegheny waterfront as part
of a possible Erie to Pittsburgh trail network.
“It's taken 15 years to get where we
are,” says Bob Gangewere. “We have a great urban trail system
and it's going to get better.”
To receive Pop City free every week, click here. Writer:
Rob Cullen
Sources: Bob Gangewere, vice president and Thomas Baxter, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront.
Image courtesy Friends of the Riverfront