Allegheny Riverfronts Project

Allegheny County's riverfronts are destinations for its citizens and visitors. They provide recreation, conservation, and access opportunities while maintaining their place as important drivers in the region's industrial, commercial, and residential economies. The Allegheny County Riverfronts Project provides overall planning and coordination for implementation of recreation, conservation, and access. PEC works closely with Allegheny County, Friends of the Riverfront and other partner organizations to implement specific projects along the riverfronts.

Background:

Photo credit: Friends of the Riverfront

There is a lot of work that has been done to date on Allegheny County's Riverfronts. This project is taking much of the work that has been completed to date, synthesizing it, and moving directly to implementation.

Some of the previous work that is being considered in this process includes, but is not limited to the following:

Three Rivers Heritage Trail Plan
Three Rivers Second Nature Reports
Three Rivers River Conservation Plan
Monongahela River Conservation Plan
Middle Allegheny River Conservation Plan
Allegheny County Comprehensive Plan
Allegheny County Riverfront Plan
Three Rivers Park Plan
Riverlife Task Force Landscaping Guidelines
Report of the Riverlife Task Force Quality and Corridors Committee
PEC initiated a partnership with Allegheny County (www.county.allegheny.pa.us) and Friends of the Riverfront (http://www.friendsoftheriverfront.org/) in summer 2007 on implementation. Implementation is ongoing.

Project Goals:

To provide continuous access along the four rivers in Allegheny County (the Youghiogheny, the Monongahela, the Allegheny, and the Ohio).
To conserve biologically, environmentally, and scenically important lands and islands along and in the rivers.
To help municipalities maintain and/or improve the quality of riverfront development including impacts on water quality.
To restore certain lands to a more environmentally sustainable state.
To provide for a positive non-motorized recreational experience on and along the rivers.

Overarching all of these goals is the understanding that each community has its own character and will need to be approached with that character in mind. There will also be instances where achieving the Vision is complicated or currently impossible due to current conditions (e.g. railroads, industrial facilities, highways). In these situations, the Project will work to seek alternatives to achieving the Vision and be vigilant as to changes in use that may later allow full implementation.

Photo credit: Friends of the Riverfront

Current/upcoming plans:

Completion of the Great Allegheny Passage (all three partners are actively involved in this process).
Focus on ensuring that reconstruction of Route 28 does not create an impassable bottleneck for trail connections along the Allegheny River (Friends is actively involved).
Pursue opportunities for purchasing trail right-of-way alongside the Allegheny Valley Railroad.
Explore opportunities for purchase of the riverfront hillside opposite Clairton and adjoining Dead Man's Hollow.
Implement invasive species control on Sycamore Island, which was permanently conserved by the Allegheny Land Trust in 2007.
Develop a strategy for art installations on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail between Fourth Street and the Hot Metal Bridge. Check out this web site for some images of the art pieces that are in place http://www.EcoArt08.blogspot.com.
Undertake a census of municipal planning practices in riverfront communities (this project is underway with research being completed by AC and PEC).
Re-visit the riverfront properties analysis conducted by Friends of the Riverfront in the early 2000s.
Develop an Annual Report on the state of the County riverfronts and hold an annual conference to discuss issues related to the riverfronts.
Implement a trail feasibility study for seventeen municipalities along the Allegheny River.
Promote a standard trail easement to secure additional segments of riverfront trail along the four rivers.

Does this project have its own web site? If so list URL:

www.friendsoftheriverfront.org and www.county.allegheny.pa.us

Attachment	Size
Allegheny County Riverfronts 453_Strategic Planning Doc.pdf	54.78 KB

Allegheny Riverfronts Project

Sign up for our Newsletter

Program Contact Information