A plan to develop a multi-modal transportation corridor along a 6.45-mile stretch of land along the Allegheny Riverfront, called the Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard project,  received a $1.5 million planning award from the federal government, through the TIGER II funding stream.  The project, a central recommendation of the Mayor’s Allegheny Riverfront Masterplan, will expand the current usage of the existing AVR freight line to create a “green spine” connecting all neighborhoods along the riverfront, and spurring future development for housing and commerce along the corridor.  It seeks to establish a rail-with-trail green boulevard that would accommodate existing AVR freight along with regional passenger rail use.

From the Federal Department of Transportation Document:

Work on the green boulevard plan will begin this January.  They will include studies for the passenger and freight rail-line, a potential light vehicle roadway, and a trail along the existing rail right-of-way that runs along the Allegheny River.  Plan implementation could begin as early as January 2012.

Approximately $68 million of federal funding was awarded nationally in TIGER II and Community Challenge planning grants by HUD and DOT.  The Allegheny Riverfront Green Boulevard was the only project in Pennsylvania to receive planning funding under this program.  HUD and DOT received 700 applications from around the country and awarded funding to 62 projects.  Of the 62 projects, the Green Boulevard was one of only 13 projects to receive funding from both HUD and DOT.

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