Funding gap narrows for vital link in Three Rivers Park system

RIVERLIFE PRESS RELEASE

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December 8, 2011                                                

RAD Board allocates $100,000 over two years to the construction of Mon Wharf Switchback
Funding gap narrows for vital link in Three Rivers Park and Three Rivers Heritage Trail system


PITTSBURGH – The Allegheny Regional Asset District approved last Tuesday a 2012 budget that includes a recommended grant of $100,000 to Allegheny Land Trust (ALT) for construction of the Mon Wharf Switchback Ramp over two years. The RAD allocation narrows the funding gap for the $3 million project, which is being overseen by Riverlife.

The Mon Wharf Switchback will connect the historic Smithfield Street Bridge to the lower Mon Wharf Landing linear park and trail along the northern bank of the Monongahela River in downtown Pittsburgh. The Switchback will provide uninterrupted ADA-compliant access to cyclists and pedestrians, and will connect the eastern end of the Mon Wharf Landing with the Great Allegheny Passage trail linking Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Md. A planned connection for the western end of the Mon Wharf Landing will eventually connect the Great Allegheny Passage to Point State Park. 800,000 cyclists are expected to ride the Passage into Pittsburgh when the remaining links are complete.

Since 1993, Allegheny Land Trust has helped local people save local land that contributes to the scenic, recreational, educational and environmental well-being of our communities. In addition to the $100,000 grant for construction of the Mon Wharf Switchback, the 2012 and 2013 RAD grants to ALT include two other vital regional trail connection and improvement projects for the Pan Handle and Montour Trails.

“We are proud to partner with Allegheny Land Trust to garner support for this crucial connection in Three Rivers Park, downtown Pittsburgh’s 13-mile interconnected riverfront park system,” said Riverlife President and CEO Lisa Schroeder. “We also thank the Allegheny Regional Asset District for their recognition of this essential project and the transportation, recreation and quality of life benefits it will bring to the people of Western Pennsylvania.”

“ALT is dedicated to encouraging the growing use and interest in the trail system and the conservation areas where they are located.  Supporting Riverlife’s efforts will help ensure that Western Pennsylvania’s trail system has a direct link to Pittsburgh via the Mon Wharf Switchback,” added Allegheny Land Trust Executive Director Roy Kraynyk.

Planning and project oversight for the Switchback are handled by Riverlife, with design by local landscape architecture firm LaQuatra Bonci Associates. This final connection from the extensive Great Allegheny Passage trail system into downtown Pittsburgh has occurred through the efforts of the City of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Parking Authority, Allegheny Trail Alliance, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Additional support comes from Richard King Mellon Foundation, The Heinz Endowments and the Katherine Mabis McKenna Foundation.

More About Riverlife

Riverlife’s mission is simple: To reclaim, restore and promote Pittsburgh’s riverfronts as the environmental, recreational, cultural and economic hub for the people of this region and our visitors. Riverlife (formerly Riverlife Task Force) is a public-private partnership established in 1999 to guide and advocate for the redevelopment of Pittsburgh’s riverfronts. Riverlife works to reconnect Pittsburgh with its rivers by bringing recreation, ecological restoration and economic opportunity back to our waterfronts.

Today, Riverlife’s stewardship extends up the Allegheny River to the 31^st Street Bridge, down the Monongahela River to the Hot Metal Bridge, and along the Ohio River to the West End Bridge. Through a variety of public-private partnerships integrating the efforts of state, city, and private developers, Riverlife points proudly to a host of projects already in place, with several currently underway and more planned for the future. This seamless sequence of open spaces for civic engagement will ultimately knit our neighborhoods together and reconnect us with our living environment.