Three Rivers Park
Encyclopedia
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
along the Allegheny
Allegheny River
The Allegheny River is a principal tributary of the Ohio River; it is located in the Eastern United States. The Allegheny River joins with the Monongahela River to form the Ohio River at the "Point" of Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
, Monongahela
Monongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, and Ohio River
Ohio River
The Ohio River is the largest tributary, by volume, of the Mississippi River. At the confluence, the Ohio is even bigger than the Mississippi and, thus, is hydrologically the main stream of the whole river system, including the Allegheny River further upstream...
s in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. The park, under development since 2000, is intended to be a landmark that will join Frick Park
Frick Park
Frick Park is the largest municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, covering .The park began when Henry Clay Frick, upon his death in 1919, bequeathed south of Clayton, his Point Breeze mansion . He also arranged for a $2 million trust fund for long-term maintenance for the park, which opened on...
, Schenley Park
Schenley Park
Schenley Park is a large municipal park located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, between the neighborhoods of Oakland, Greenfield, and Squirrel Hill. It is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district...
, Highland Park
Highland Park (Pittsburgh)
Highland Park is both a large municipal park and a racially diverse, mostly residential neighborhood in the northeastern part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.The neighborhood has 6,749 residents according to the 2000 United States Census...
, Riverview Park, and Grand View Scenic Byway Park
Grand View Scenic Byway Park
Grand View Scenic Byway Park is a large municipal park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It encircles the neighborhoods of Mt. Washington, Duquesne Heights and Allentown and offers scenic views of the city that draw more than 1 million visitors annually....
as the sixth in the city's network of regional parks.
Overview
Three Rivers Park is composed of several capital projects, with Riverlife Task ForceRiverlife Task Force
Riverlife is a nonprofit public-private partnership established in 2000 to guide and advocate for the redevelopment of the riverfronts of the City of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the largest riverfront regeneration project in the United States...
overseeing implementation of the park and more than $2.5 billion invested since 1999. The park is being designed to open the three rivers to public access in a way that was impossible during Pittsburgh's Industrial Age. After scheduled completion in the year 2020, it will offer continuous trails and green space along a more than 13-mile waterfront loop between the West End Bridge on the Ohio River, the 31st Street Bridge
31st Street Bridge
The 31st Street Bridge, is an arch bridge that carries vehicular traffic across the Allegheny River between the Pittsburgh neighborhoods of Troy Hill and the Strip District. The bridge passes over, but does not serve, Herrs Island, which is connected to the mainland by the 30th Street Bridge...
on the Allegheny River, and the Hot Metal Bridge on the Monongahela River. Contained within the project site boundaries are shorelines, public and private property, and several bridges.
The logo of Three Rivers Park is the outline shape of Fort Pitt
Fort Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Fort Pitt was a fort built at the location of Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.-French and Indian War:The fort was built from 1759 to 1761 during the French and Indian War , next to the site of former Fort Duquesne, at the confluence the Allegheny River and the Monongahela River...
, the 18th century outpost of the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
at the confluence
Confluence (geography)
In geography, a confluence is the meeting of two or more bodies of water. It usually refers to the point where two streams flow together, merging into a single stream...
of the Monongahela, Allegheny, and Ohio Rivers. The design aims to capture the historical significance of Pittsburgh, with added graphic elements of water and leaf shapes to acknowledge the region's natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
. The logo appears on signage
Signage
Signage is any kind of visual graphics created to display information to a particular audience. This is typically manifested in the form of wayfinding information in places such as streets or inside/outside of buildings.-History:...
throughout Three Rivers Park.
Completed segments
- North Shore Riverfront ParkNorth Shore Riverfront ParkNorth Shore Riverfront Park is a small municipal park along the north banks of the Allegheny and Ohio Rivers across from Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is a parcel of Three Rivers Park, the city's urban waterfront park along its rivers that provides a continuous green trail...
- Allegheny Riverfront ParkAllegheny Riverfront ParkAllegheny Riverfront Park is a small municipal park along the south bank of the Allegheny River in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Cultural District...
- Point State ParkPoint State ParkPoint State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
- South Side Riverfront Park
Current development
Currently the Riverlife Task Force is managing three capital projects in the development of Three Rivers Park.Point State ParkPoint State ParkPoint State Park is a Pennsylvania state park on in Downtown Pittsburgh, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA, at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio River....
renovation
Point State Park is undergoing a rehabilitation process to upgrade and construct new facilities to accommodate large events and easier access to the shoreline. While the park has become a primary outdoor event facility, it was not originally designed as such, and current park facilities are becoming outdated and deteriorated. The rehabilitation involves both infrastructure and aesthetic improvements, such as reconstructed restrooms and sidewalks, a renovated fountain, healthier vegetation and new historical interpretation markers.Mon Wharf Landing
A major capital project in the Three Rivers Park plan is the transformation of the Mon Wharf (the northern shore of the Monongahela River in Downtown Pittsburgh) from a river edge parking deck into a greenway which will serve to connect Point State Park to other destinations up the Monongahela River. Currently, the Mon Wharf is a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) parking lot on the Monongahela River, located at the base of the First Side area of downtown, below one highway and parallel to another. This presents annual flooding problems due to poor drainage, harsh lighting from the roadway and parking areas, very high noise levels, and high volumes of water runoff. Riverlife states that the benefits of the completed Mon Wharf Landing will include a pedestrian and bicycle thruway linking Point State Park to the Eliza Furnace Trail, the Great Allegheny PassageGreat Allegheny Passage
The Great Allegheny Passage is a rail trail in Maryland and Pennsylvania. It is the central part of a several-hundred-mile long network of long-distance hiker-biker trails through the Allegheny region of the Appalachian Mountains, connecting Washington, D.C...
and Downtown; safe and easier access for city residents, workers, boaters, families and outdoors enthusiasts to the rivers and trails around Downtown; a water landing providing dockage for small, motorized boats and non-motorized craft; enhanced scenic views of the Mon River edge from the Fort Pitt Bridge
Fort Pitt Bridge
The Fort Pitt Bridge is a steel, double decker bowstring arch bridge that spans the Monongahela River near its confluence with the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It carries Interstate 376 between the Fort Pitt Tunnel and Downtown Pittsburgh.-History:The Fort Pitt Bridge opened on...
, Station Square
Station Square
Station Square is a indoor and outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex located in the South Shore neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
and Mount Washington
Mount Washington (Pittsburgh)
Mount Washington is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's south city area. It has a zip code of 15211 and has representation on Pittsburgh City Council by both the council members for District 3 and District 2 .It is known for its steep hill overlooking the Pittsburgh skyline, which was...
; and landscaping that will address the overhead highway storm water and clean air issues.
West End Pedestrian Bridge
A major goal of Riverlife is to connect the shores of the Ohio River via a pedestrian bridge and trail system connected to the West End Bridge. Riverlife conducted a design competition to select a design, and a team led by Endres Ware, an architectural and engineering firm based in Berkeley, CA, was selected as the winner. The goal of the new bridge is to enhance access to the bridge for pedestrians and cyclists and to improve the experience of the bridge when upon it on foot or bicycle. The bridge is attached to the West End Bridge, and viewed from a distance, the bridge is supposed to appear unchanged.In addition to the pedestrian and bike pathway, water landings will be added to the area. The goal is to incorporate the bridge and pathway design into the existing neighborhoods on both sides of the river.