Allegheny County officials break ground on project designed to connect neighborhoods

PITTSBURGH — County Executive Rich Fitzgerald, Mayor Ed Gainey and state Sen. Jay Costa were among the leaders who broke ground on the new $4.5 million road project at Bakery Square. The Larimer-Homewood Connector will be a tree-lined road for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles.

The 1.5-mile road and green space are replacing old, abandoned railroad tracks. The goal is to connect neighboring communities to Mellon Park, Bakery Square, other East End community amenities and job opportunities.

“It starts to connect to every single neighborhood that’s within a half a mile to mile, Highland Park this way, East Liberty and Garfield that way, Point Breeze Squirrel Hill this way, Lincoln Larimer this way,” said County Executive Rich Fitzgerald.

Walnut Capital, the developer of Bakery Square, has been working with local and state leaders for years on funding for the project that they say will change lives.

“To build a connector like that to help make it more effective and efficient for people to move in, come in and work in and play in, and I see Saturday nights now... the level of diversity, the food is good, you created that vibrant thing,” Said Mayor Ed Gainey.

“I played Little League baseball across the street at Mellon field all those years ago and I gotta tell you, it’s wonderful to see what’s taken place here,” said state Sen. Jay Costa.

Bakery Square was once home to the Nabisco plant and has been completely transformed, now employing 4,000 workers.  But city leaders say that for years neighboring communities didn’t have easy access to it. The new roadway will connect people to both jobs and entertainment.

Councilman the Rev. Ricky Burgess grew up a couple of blocks away and has been invested in the Bakery Square transformation. He remembers getting in big trouble with his father for playing on those tracks.

“I came out to the railroad tracks and played on an abandoned caboose right outside of Bakery Square so i could smell the bakery and play on the train,” Burgess said. “Now Bakery Square, that had been a place of problem and pain has been transformed to a place of pleasure and potential.”

In just five months, the old train tracks will be transformed into a tree- and garden-lined road, welcoming cyclists, pedestrians and vehicles to Bakery Square.

Police: woman accused of ATV theft had teens steal them for her

©2022 Cox Media Group