District connector road and trail (ARC)

The Federal Highway Administration awarded the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation $122,000 on May 15, 2026, under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (CFDA 20.287) to construct a district connector road and trail at the 19th Street Gateway Connector and Riverfront District Connector Road in Sharpsburg Borough, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

The project addresses historic infrastructural barriers that have prevented residents of the 3,500-person waterfront community from accessing the waterfront corridor and have deterred redevelopment. A rail line operated by Norfolk Southern Railway Company, constructed in the 1920s, physically divides Sharpsburg Borough into two sections and isolates residents from the Allegheny River. The project will enable access to Allegheny Shores, a 30-acre waterfront property representing 11.5 percent of the borough's total land area and the last remaining tract available for new development along the Allegheny River in Western Pennsylvania. The work will remove access barriers created by infrastructure from the Interstate and rail construction era that have contributed to inequitable displacement, auto dependence, and barriers to opportunity.

The period of performance extends from May 15, 2026, through June 20, 2030. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, a division of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, serves as the recipient and will implement the project as the state's primary federal transportation infrastructure administrator.

Project description

Construction of a district connector road and trail at the 19TH street gateway connector and riverfront district connector road, in sharpsburg borough, allegheny county. The purpose of the allegheny shores local access road project ('project') is to address historic infrastructural barriers that have prevented residents from accessing the waterfront corridor and long-deterred redevelopment opportunities. Located five miles outside downtown pittsburgh, sharpsburg borough is small waterfront community that is home to approximately 3,500 residents. In the 1920S, sharpsburg borough was divided into two sections following construction of a new railroad, which is now operated by norfolk southern railway company ('nsrc'). The rail line physically isolates residents and prevents direct access to the waterfront. Over the last century, what was once a vibrant and bustling community has faced a continued state of decline. Today, the borough boasts pride of its industrial past while looking forward to the opportunities of economic growth. Sharpsburg borough is seeking to rebuild its economy by tapping into its greatest asset - a 30-acre waterfront property known as allegheny shores. The waterfront property accounts for 11.5% of the total land in the borough. Allegheny shores is the last remaining tract of land along the allegheny river in western pennsylvania available for new development. The project will address access issues associated with infrastructure built during the peak interstate and rail construction ERA that have since caused inequitable displacement, auto dependence, and barriers to opportunity.