‘Massive win’: Tiny Sharpsburg gets $25 million federal grant to provide access to a riverfront brownfield redevelopment

For about a decade, Sharpsburg and The Mosites Co. have had a vision to transform a 52-acre industrial waste site along the Allegheny River into Allegheny Shores.

They broke ground in late 2022 to begin a project expected to include affordable housing, mixed-use development and installation of a riverfront trail. But the project remained stalled due to lack of access to the site, a 1.5-mile sliver jammed between the river, the Highland Park and 62nd Street bridges, and Norfolk Southern railroad tracks.

That problem was eliminated Monday when the project was awarded a $25 million federal Department of Transportation grant to provide access to the site, extend the Three Rivers Heritage Trail and upgrade six bus stops on Main Street.

“There are a lot of smiles around here today,” Sharpsburg Manager Christine DeRunk said in an interview after the grant announcement. “This has really been a long time in the making. Now we can do transformational things.”

Specifically, the funds will be used to build a ramp from the Highland Park Bridge to the site and create access points at 19th Street and James Sharps Landing at 13th Street. The 19th Street entry point will include a public plaza overlooking the river.

The project also will include installing a 1.2-mile trail through the property.

Outside Allegheny Shores itself, some of the money will be used to upgrade six bus stops with new shelters and other amenities, something DeRunk said the borough considers important for current residents as well as those who will live in the new development.

DeRunk credited the area’s congressional delegation – Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman and U.S. Rep. Chris DeLuzio – for pushing for the funds. She noted the borough is only 0.6 square miles and has about 3,200 residents.

At a media briefing Wednesday on the$1.8 billion awarded under the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said grantees have “a lot to be proud of” because only 148 were chosen from more than 1,000 applicants.

In a news release, DeLuzio, D-Aspinwall, stressed the importance of the grant to a small community like Sharpsburg.

“This transformational investment can shape a community for generations to come, spurring growth and getting folks connected to the beautiful Allegheny River,” he said.

Fetterman called the grant “a massive win” for the borough.

“This project will allow the community to turn a blighted former rail yard into an engine for economic revitalization, and the benefits will be felt for generations,” he said.

Casey said the grants made available through the Biden administration’s infrastructure program are a key element in rebuilding local communities.

“By reconnecting Sharpsburg to the riverfront and expanding transportation options for residents, we are investing in the long-term economic growth of the borough and its residents,” he said. 

DeRunk said the only remaining hurdle for the project is installing utilities such as water, sewer, electricity and telecommunication. Mosites and the utilities will work out those details, she said, but she wasn’t sure of the timetable.

Mosites referred questions to the borough.

Even if the timetable isn’t clear yet, DeRunk said, the borough is ready to celebrate.

“For 100 years, residents haven’t been able to get to the river because of the scrap yard,” she said. “Now they will be able to. We’re just elated, truly elated.”