- Reconnecting downtown Pittsburgh to its waterfront.
- Steep, challenging site.
- Rigorous design review process involving multiple agencies.
Arup played a key role in overcoming the substantial challenges posed by a narrow site with a steep drop in elevation. Squeezed between the water and a four-lane highway, the new park is over 3,000ft long and varies in width from 30 – 50ft. Additional difficulties included potential impacts from ice floes and barges, as well as frequent flooding.
The team’s design solution reconnected the city to the river via ramps (which also serve as acoustic buffers). We engineered raised pedestrian paths, terracing walls, and other landscape elements that define functional spaces.
To accommodate the client’s request for a 15ft-wide path by the river, Arup cantilevered a long section of the walkway 25ft over the water. The 300ft-long, pile-supported structure widens an existing patio area below the city’s convention center and serves as a dock for large paddle-wheel excursion boats.
We also helped the park clear a complex review and approval process. Over 20 departments in nine public agencies had to be consulted on every design and engineering element.
The project was executed in two phases over a period of several years. After completing the river level, the team worked on an upper-level area providing space for outdoor performances.
The Allegheny River Walk is a major component of Pittsburgh’s ambitious plan to provide waterfront access throughout the city, which sits at the juncture of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio Rivers.
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