Biking, hiking in Bicycles

Many people who attended the dedication Friday morning of a new section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail arrived by bicycle.

Organizers of the event had urged those coming to use "green transportation," and between 50 and 60 bicycles were parked trailside during the brief program. More than 100 people attended.

Mark Bibro, president of the Friends of the Riverfront, called the $2.8 million North Side project a miracle. The undertaking, a joint effort involving three state agencies, the city of Pittsburgh and four private foundations, was completed "on budget and on time," he said at the ceremony.

The new half-mile section of trail runs beneath the 31st Street Bridge and connects the city's network of trails to a similar biking-hiking path running through Millvale's Riverfront Park.

Its completion means that cars, trains and bicycles will continue to share the often narrow north bank of the Allegheny River, but each will have its own separate route.

No group is more passionate than trail users, said Dan Cessna, district executive for PennDOT District 11. As the state Department of Transportation developed plans for widening Route 28 and relocating Norfolk Southern rail lines, officials recognized they had a unique opportunity to acquire rights of way for a parallel bike path to adjoin the tracks and the roadway.

Pittsburgh agreed to take ownership of the new section of the trail, providing the first link between a city trail and one in an adjoining municipality.

Trail users were pleased with the latest addition to the off-road network.

Leah Esser, of the North Side, said she and her family use city trails to bike or to walk almost every day. Her 13-month-old daughter, Rhyse, clearly found Friday's ride on the newly opened section to be comfortable. She had fallen asleep in her seat on the back of her mother's bike.

More trails mean more options for getting more places around the city without having to use a car, Ms. Esser said. "It's convenient, and it's good exercise," she said.

Patrick Hassett, assistant city public works director, said the new trail section was an example of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl's commitment to making cycling and walking safer.

"Every trail mile we develop means fewer cars on Route 28," Darla Cravotta, Allegheny County's special projects coordinator, told the crowd.

Kevin Geiselman of Turtle Creek agreed.

Pittsburgh has been doing a good job over the past 20 years adding to and linking up bike lanes on city streets with bike trails, he said. "These kinds of connections and infrastructure are vital to creating a cycling community," he said.

The new section of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail was funded primarily with federal stimulus funds allocated by PennDOT with additional assistance from the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Department of Community and Economic Development, the city of Pittsburgh, the Laurel Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, Mellon Foundation, Richard King Mellon Foundation and Friends of the Riverfront.