Work begins on next phase of improvements in Pittsburgh's Allegheny Commons Park
Work started this week on the latest phase of construction to upgrade the North Promenade in Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Commons Park.
A 15-foot-wide central promenade will be built along North Avenue, the park’s system of connected pathways will be realigned and more than 100 trees will be planted. The project also will bring new lighting and benches, plus new pedestrian crossings at Federal and Arch streets.
“Pittsburgh’s oldest public park is also one of the North Side’s greatest natural assets,” said State Rep. Aerion Abney, D-Manchester. “The investments made to renovate this park are down payments for the enhanced social, cultural and emotional fabric for residents and visitors alike for generations present and future.”
The North Side park dates to 1789, making it the oldest in the city.
Duquesne Light is investing $1 million into the project, which is being spearheaded by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. Pittsburgh officials have allocated $800,000 from the city’s park tax trust fund.
City Councilman Bobby Wilson, D-Spring Hill, said the investment is “crucial to preserving” Allegheny Commons Park.
“The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is excited to begin rehabilitating the next section of the North Promenade and the positive and direct impact the project will have on the diverse and vibrant North Side communities surrounding the park,” Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy CEO Catherine Qureshi said.
The park’s George Washington Monument will be given “a new setting in a well-scaled oval plaza” in this phase of work, the conservancy said.
Officials haven’t offered a timeline of when this phase of work will be completed.
An earlier phase, completed in 2021, began near the Patricia Rooney Memorial and extended to Federal Street. That phase cost nearly $1 million, according to the conservancy.
Duquesne Light also will install a new power source to improve lighting at the park, at no cost to the city. Electricity powering the lights now comes from the nearby National Aviary, but officials said it’s unreliable and would short out during rain.
Duquesne Light is planning to install wires and equipment underground for a more reliable lighting system.
Julia Felton is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jfelton@triblive.com.
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