Project Snapshot
- Client: Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments (TCVCOG) & Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG)Project Location: Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh, Turtle Creek, and Wilmerding, Pennsylvania
- Project Type: Transportation Planning, Community Revitalization, Multi-Municipal Collaboration
- Funding Source: U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program
- Funding Award: $800,000
- Project Status: Awarded January 2025
- CoHub Role: Technical Assistance, Grant Strategy, Partnership Development, Project Readiness Support
- (Include space for client logos opposite above data.)
Project Overview
For decades, transportation and rail infrastructure have physically divided communities throughout the Monongahela and Turtle Creek Valleys, limiting access to jobs, services, amenities, and economic opportunity. Local leaders recognized that addressing these barriers would require more than a single infrastructure project—it would require a shared vision, strong partnerships, and a coordinated regional approach.
Working together, the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments and Steel Rivers Council of Governments pursued funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to begin exploring solutions that reconnect residents, strengthen mobility, and support long-term community revitalization.
Their collaborative effort resulted in an $800,000 federal grant to support a feasibility study, alternatives analysis, and conceptual design process focused on improving connectivity throughout five historic communities in the Monongahela and Turtle Creek Valleys.
The Opportunity
Located just east of Pittsburgh, these communities share a rich history, strong local identity, and significant redevelopment potential. However, transportation corridors and rail infrastructure have created longstanding barriers that affect how residents move through and access their communities.
Local leaders saw an opportunity to rethink these connections while supporting broader goals around economic development, housing, mobility, and community revitalization. Rather than pursuing isolated projects, they worked together to create a regional vision that reflects the needs and aspirations of residents throughout the valleys.
CoHub's Role
CoHub provided technical assistance and project development support throughout the grant pursuit process, helping local partners strengthen their application, align regional priorities, and position the project for investment.
Our role focused on helping partners navigate a complex federal funding opportunity while building upon years of local planning, community engagement, and collaborative relationship-building. By supporting coordination across organizations and communities, CoHub helped translate a shared vision into a competitive funding proposal.
Expected Impact
This investment will support an initial planning and design process that explores ways to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure while improving access to economic opportunity, community assets, and essential services.
The effort will also create a foundation for future investments by identifying practical, community-informed solutions that balance transportation improvements with broader community development goals.
Most importantly, the project demonstrates the power of regional collaboration. By working together across municipal boundaries, local leaders were able to secure significant federal investment and advance a vision that no single community could achieve alone.
Partners
- Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments (TCVCOG)
- Steel Rivers Council of Governments (SRCOG)
- Borough of Braddock
- Borough of North Braddock
- Borough of East Pittsburgh
- Borough of Turtle Creek
- Borough of Wilmerding
Funder
U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT)
Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program
Project Outcome
$800,000 awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to advance planning and design efforts reconnecting five communities throughout the Monongahela and Turtle Creek Valleys.