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Stephan Bontrager, Director of Communications, Riverlife
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CITY RECEIVES $1.5M IN FEDERAL FUNDING FOR GREEN TRANSPORATION DEVELOPMENT ALONG ALLEGHENY RIVERFRONT

(PITTSBURGH) Oct. 20, 2010 - Mayor Luke Ravenstahl announced today that his plan to develop a multi-modal transportation corridor along a 6.45-mile stretch of land along the Allegheny Riverfront, called the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard project,  received a $1.5 million planning award from the federal government. The project, a central recommendation of the Mayor's Allegheny Riverfront Masterplan, will expand the current usage of the existing AVR freight line to create a "green spine" connecting all neighborhoods along the riverfront, and spurring future development for housing and commerce along the corridor.

"This project will transform the Allegheny riverfront with a public transit rail-and-trail system, that reconnects our neighborhoods with our City's greatest natural asset," Ravenstahl said. "Imagine a riverfront destination that you can easily walk to, bike to, and take public transportation to - and you can easily envision a place that sustains and attracts new residents and businesses. I want to thank all of our partners in the federal government for recognizing the importance of this project that will spur economic development and ensure that Pittsburgh sustains its 'most livable city' status for years to come."

The project seeks to establish a rail-with-trail green boulevard that would accommodate existing AVR freight along with regional passenger rail use. The project also calls for additional transportation infrastructure, a stormwater management system, and riverfront habitat restoration.

"This plan is the result of a year of in-depth conversation with residents, property owners and stakeholders throughout the corridor," said URA Executive Director Rob Stephany. "There is a lot of excitement among residents to connect these neighborhoods to the river while offering new transportation alternatives like a light rail and trail system. We see this project as a natural opportunity to capitalize on the forward momentum happening in places like the Strip District and Lawrenceville."

Work on the green boulevard plan will begin this January as the City and URA begin planning and urban design studies for the accompanying Housing Master Plan. Riverlife and AVR will begin transportation and stormwater planning, and engineering studies for the passenger and freight rail-line, a potential light vehicle roadway, and a trail along the existing rail right-of-way that runs along the Allegheny River. Plan implementation could begin as early as January 2012.

Environmental benefits of developing the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard include: creating and conserving green space along the riverfront; increasing the number of pedestrian, transit and cyclist trips through the corridor; and reducing auto congestion along Butler Street and Penn Avenue.

"For the past few decades Pittsburgh has been moving towards best practice when it comes toward developing its riverfronts," said Riverlife President and CEO Lisa Schroeder."With the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard Plan, the City has the opportunity to put our best foot forward in managing stormwater runoff and restoring natural riverfront environments. We applaud the leadership of Mayor Ravenstahl in making this project a priority, and look forward to working with the City, URA and AVR to create further economic opportunity along this corridor by connecting neighborhoods through shared transit and responsible riverfront development."

Approximately $68 million of federal funding was awarded nationally in TIGER II and Community Challenge planning grants by HUD and DOT. The Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard was the only project in Pennsylvania to receive planning funding under this program.  HUD and DOT received 700 applications from around the country and awarded funding to 62 projects.  Of the 62 projects, the Green Boulevard was one of only 13 projects to receive funding from both HUD and DOT. 

U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Bob Casey Jr. announced the $1.5 million grant, of which $825,000 comes from a U.S. Department of Transportation's TIGER II (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) planning grant. The remainder comes from a Community Challenge planning grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

"For decades, Pittsburgh's riverfronts were used as transportation corridors for industrial production, and the land surrounding them did not connect to our communities," said Ravenstahl. "Today we recognize the riverfronts as our most treasured assets that have tremendous potential to improve our quality of life. We now have the opportunity to reconnect our neighborhoods, reclaim these waterways as amenities, and provide new venues for development and recreation."

About the Mayor's Allegheny Riverfront Masterplan

In April of 2009, City Planning, the URA and Riverlife embarked on the Allegheny Riverfront Vision Planning process, an effort to create a market-based community-driven vision for a six-mile stretch of riverfront extending from the Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh to the eastern edge of the City near Highland Park.  This planning effort, which was led by a steering committee of stakeholders from the Strip District, Lawrenceville, Morningside, and Highland Park, as well as city-wide, resulted in land-use, ecological, transportation, and market recommendations for the entire riverfront corridor.  The plan was authored by a consultant team led by Perkins Eastman and will be completed in November of 2011.  It envisions a sustainable green riverfront flanked by a regenerative zone of development, new bicycle and pedestrian friendly infrastructure, and new riverfront housing in Lawrenceville and in the Strip District.  The Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard was a central recommendation of the Allegheny Riverfront Vision and will serve as a green spine connecting all neighborhoods along the Allegheny River, spurring future development for housing and commerce along the corridor.  For more information, please see www.alleghenyriverfrontvision.com.