Duquesne Light donates $1 million to Allegheny Commons Park project
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is entering another phase of construction on the North Promenade in Allegheny Commons Park.
The project will reconstruct a 15-foot-wide central promenade along North Avenue, realign the system of connecting pathways and plant more than 100 trees at the park, according to the conservancy. There will also be new lighting and additional benches, as well as new pedestrian crossings at Federal and Arch Streets.
Dating to 1789, Allegheny Commons is the city’s oldest park.
The new phase of rehabilitation work at the North Side park will stretch from Federal Street towards the George Washington Monument. Work is slated to begin this summer.
“These critical investments into Allegheny Commons Park will help make the park safe and welcoming for everyone who visits this historic park,” Mayor Ed Gainey said Tuesday.
Duquesne Light is investing $1 million to the project, according to the parks conservancy, which will help fund upgrades like pathway resurfacing, canopy tree planting, bench installation, new trash receptacles and mobility and pedestrian upgrades.
The company also contributed to the first phase of the restoration work at the park,.
Pittsburgh officials have allocated $800,000 from the city’s park tax trust fund for the upgrades.
Officials said the project will have a direct impact on the Northside communities that surround the park, which are identified by the Department of Environmental Protection as Environmental Justice Areas, with 20% or more of the population living in poverty and 30% or more identifying as a minority.
“On behalf of the Northside, we are looking forward to seeing the fruit of these investments in this park,” City Councilman Bobby Wilson said.
The first phase of work on the project, which was completed in 2021, began near the Patricia Rooney Memorial and extended to Federal Street. The conservancy said that portion of the project totaled nearly $1 million.
The upcoming phase received a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority Greenways, Trails and Recreation Program to provide additional funding.
The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy said the upgrades should make Allegheny Commons Park “brighter, safer and more accessible.”
This article originally appeared in the TribLive on March 14, 2023, and was written by Julia Felton. Read the original article here.
Julia Felton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia by email at jfelton@triblive.com or via Twitter .