Plans to Connect Trail Near Convention Center

The Sports and Exhibition Authority has announced plans for a riverfront park at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center that will fill in a missing link. Lisa Schroeder, executive director of the Riverlife Task Force, told DUQ that this project will connect the trail in all directions from the Point to the Strip District. Schroeder says this is a particularly difficult project because of the steepness of the bank, building it under a cantilever, creating a platform extending 25 feet into the Allegheny River to provide a dock for the Gateway Clipper Fleet, and still protecting the river habitat. Schroeder says trail projects along the rivers are "growing exponentially." $2.3 million must still be raised for the $8.5 million project. The Sports and Exhibition Authority hopes to begin construction next summer.