Gov. Wolf Celebrates Infrastructure Investments at Ribbon Cutting for I-579 CAP Park

Today, Governor Tom Wolf joined federal, state and local leaders at a ribbon cutting ceremony for the I-579 CAP Park in Pittsburgh, to be renamed the Frankie Pace Park after ​the celebrated Hill District community advocate. The project will connect the Hill District to downtown Pittsburgh through the newly-created Frankie Pace Park, improve public transportation, and spur economic development in the Hill District and the Pittsburgh region.

"This project is a fantastic example of what we can accomplish when we come together to invest in our infrastructure," said Gov. Wolf. "An investment in infrastructure is an investment in communities and the people who bring them to life. This is what innovative, ambitious, community-centered infrastructure investment looks like, and my administration was proud to support this project through state investment."

When I-579 was constructed, it severed the connection between the Hill District and downtown Pittsburgh. The I-579 CAP project reestablishes this connection through the construction of a 3-acre park with accessible pedestrian pathways, bicycle routes, and recreation and education areas.

The I-579 CAP project received $5.23 million dollars in RACP funding, $650,000 dollars through the ​Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT​) Multimodal Transportation Fund, $1.35 million from the Commonwealth Financing Authority and a $500,000 grant from the ​Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR​) Keystone Fund.

"The creation of this park was a community-focused project from start to finish," Gov. Wolf said. "This project has turned a space of division into a space of connection.

"The I-579 CAP project addresses challenges in the community, promotes community and economic development, strengthens transportation networks and boosts our state's economy through environmentally conscious, community-centric design."