The City of Pittsburgh Three River Heritage Trail Maintenance & Management Plan

The City of Pittsburgh Department of Mobility and Infrastructure is soliciting bids through a Request for Proposal (RFP #2023-RFP-058) to develop a comprehensive maintenance and management plan for the Three River Heritage Trail system within city limits. This procurement seeks a qualified consultant to conduct detailed assessments and create strategic plans addressing four key focus areas: canopy and invasive plant management, riparian restoration and preservation, trail lighting/surface/drainage management, and maintenance financing strategies. The consultant will be responsible for evaluating approximately 36 miles of riverfront trail along the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers, creating canopy assessments, identifying riverbank restoration priorities, evaluating trail surface and drainage conditions, and developing a long-term maintenance financing strategy. Deliverables include a Trail Maintenance Responsibility Matrix and a recommended staffing plan to ensure the integrity and resiliency of the trail system in response to increased usage and climate change impacts. The project timeline is estimated at 10-14 months, with the RFP released on March 22, 2023, written questions due by April 11, 2023, and proposal responses required by May 12, 2023, at 5:00 pm. The project is partially funded by a Community Conservation Partnerships Program grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and will involve coordination with multiple regional partners including Allegheny Clean Ways, Friends of the Riverfront, Riverlife, Tree Pittsburgh, and Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.

Proposers must demonstrate good faith efforts in minority business enterprise (MBE), women business enterprise (WBE), and veteran-owned business participation, with established goals of 18% minority, 7% women, and 5% veteran-owned business involvement. While no specific incumbent vendors or current contractors are listed, the consultant will need to integrate with existing riverbank stability assessment data provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District, which includes a comprehensive web map application and geotechnical, bioengineering, and erosion control recommendations across the approximately 43-mile riverbank study area. The assessment data identifies riverbank conditions categorized as favorable (11.9 miles), fair (24.1 miles), and poor (6.7 miles), with 27.9 miles of naturalized materials and 14.8 miles of manmade materials, providing a foundation for the consultant's management plan development. No specific award value or budget range is disclosed in the available documentation. Qualified consultants should possess expertise in trail maintenance planning, environmental assessment, riparian restoration, and stakeholder coordination with the ability to deliver a detailed, implementable maintenance and management strategy within the 10-14 month project schedule.