Governor Tom Wolf announced this week a round of investment grants for multimodal transportation projects throughout Pennsylvania, including a Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) grant of $492,616 for a switchback ramp to be built connecting the Smithfield Street Bridge and the Mon Wharf in downtown Pittsburgh. With the addition of the CFA grant, the switchback is nearly fully funded with construction anticipated to start in spring of 2017.
The switchback is a riverfront access project of Riverlife in partnership with the City of Pittsburgh. Riverlife is grateful to the CFA for its generous Multimodal Transportation funding for the project, and especially to Mayor Bill Peduto for his support of the Mon Wharf switchback ramp. Pittsburgh’s riverfronts are part of a safe, reliable and growing statewide network of greenways and open spaces used for transportation by Pennsylvania residents and visitors.
This funding will help fill the final missing riverfront connection between Point State Park and the Great Allegheny Passage by creating an accessible ramp from the Smithfield Street Bridge to the Mon Wharf, connecting thousands of users to Downtown shops, restaurants and businesses. The switchback has been a long time in the making and the CFA grant brings us closer to making this project an exciting reality in 2017.
