Work begins to revitalize Riverfront Park along Ft. Duquesne Boulevard in Downtown Pittsburgh
The space along Ft. Duquesne Boulevard along the southern banks of the Allegheny River is about to get an upgrade, thanks to a cooperative effort from local, county, and state officials and support from local investors.
Riverlife, a local nonprofit that has worked to create, activate, and celebrate Pittsburgh's riverfronts since 1999, is spearheading the project to rehab Allegheny Riverfront Park. The work will take place over the next several months, with an expected completion date in November.
"It's a space that has brought people together for decades. And today, together, we celebrate its future," said Riverlife President and CEO Matthew Galluzzo.
Crews will replace the bluestone pavers along the park's walkway that have degraded over the years, as well as widen the street corners and add 35 new trees to improve the canopy above the park.
The project will cost an estimated $5.4 million, and financial support from this project came together from Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and the state government, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and the Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), as well as local groups like the Heinz Endowments, the Richard King Mellon Foundation, and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
"What's being done here to enhance and make these riverfronts look better is going to help with tourism on these rivers," said Pennsylvania State Senator Wayne Fontana. "And that's the future, folks: to build that tourism and to build that... the future. Quality of life? That's what this is."
The work for this project begins almost a year to the day before Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft. The plans for the event involve Pittsburgh's Riverfront areas, both downtown and on the North Shore near the Steelers' home of Acrisure Stadium. The goal is for the city to look its best when that time comes.
"It comes at a pivotal time; a time we are prepared to host the 2026 NFL Draft," Mayor Ed Gainey said. "It comes at a pivotal time; a time when we're showing the reimagination of what our city can be going forward for the next hundred years."
This rehabilitation comes nearly 30 years after the original creation of the park, when a lane from Ft. Duquesne Boulevard was eliminated to create the park area. Nationally renowned landscape architect Laura Solano was part of the team with Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, who designed the park in the mid-1990s.
"Parks are so vital to the life of a city, but they age just like we do," said Solano. "The way people use them changes, and so it's up to cities to help them evolve, and that's exactly what this project is doing."
