Officials celebrate enhanced bike trail in Downtown Pittsburgh

Local and state officials on Friday celebrated an upgraded trail connecting Downtown Pittsburgh’s Point State Park with the 150-mile bike trail stretching from Pittsburgh to Washington, D.C.

The new trail, which first opened ahead of schedule last October, runs along the Monongahela River, connecting the Mon Wharf directly to Point State Park. An older trail also connected to the two points, but it was extremely narrow — just 3.5 feet wide at some points — causing inconvenient “pinch points” along the trail where cyclists would have to dismount. The former trail was also drowned in traffic noise thanks to its location along Interstate 376.

Now, the new connecting trail is flanked by native flowers and vegetation that work as a sound barrier. The connection spans a few hundred yards, was widened to nearly 10 feet at all points, and provides spectacular views on the Mon River and Fort Pitt Bridge.

NEW: PA state parks is unveiling an upgraded trail connection between Point State Park and Mon Wharf in downtown Pittsburgh. Here is video of the new trail segment. The old trail was extremely narrow and extremely loud, and bikes would have to dismount if anyone else was on trail pic.twitter.com/YHv0scGHqt

— Ryan Deto (@RyanDeto) June 7, 2024

Cindy Adams Dunn, secretary of the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, said Friday that the $4.2 million project will boost a true transportation corridor. She spoke as dozens of cyclists rode by.

The upgrade provides a true welcome mat to Pittsburgh, she said, and will only better conditions on one of the most popular bike corridors in the state. Dunn said the Downtown Pittsburgh section of the Great Allegheny Passage attracts 1 million riders a year.

“It’s more than just pieces of cement and metal, it is an upgraded connection to a a bigger dream of the 150 miles of biking trails through Pennsylvania,” Dunn said.

The trail also has enhanced lighting and railings to encourage safe travel, officials said.

Heading east from the new trail, pedestrians and cyclists can continue along another trail through the Mon Wharf for about a half-mile before ascending the Mon Wharf switchback and then on to the Great Allegheny Passage trail, which runs for 150 miles through Southwestern Pennsylvania and Maryland on the way to Washington, D.C.

State officials celebrated the Downtown Pittsburgh trail connection as a part of Pennsylvania’s new tourism push and motto, the Great American Getaway.

Dunn lauded Gov. Josh Shapiro’s new tourism initiative and his recent trip with his family across the state, including riding bikes with TribLive on the Great Allegheny Passage trail in Ohiopyle.

She said the new trail connection in Pittsburgh will help to sell Shapiro’s proposed $8.5 million increase for trails in his budget proposal.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato praised the new connection and said she hopes city and county residents use it often. She also said the upgraded trail fits into the city and county’s recent initiative to invest and beautify infrastructure in Downtown ahead of the NFL Draft in 2026.

“This connection is another piece in making Downtown feel more like a neighborhood, and it gives us even more opportunities to show off our parks,” Innamorato said.