Pittsburgh's newest stretch of reclaimed riverfront is still a bit dusty and its freshly planted landscaping has yet to flourish.

But the 2,017-foot-long Monongahela Wharf trail, which was dedicated at a ceremony yesterday, is a striking improvement of what for decades was one of Downtown's most forlorn places.

The trail project occupies the part of the wharf that juts out from under the Parkway East overpass. The walkway stretches the length of the wharf at the river's edge, paved mostly in concrete, with bluestone inlays. Several sets of steps were added to give kayakers river access.

Between the walkway and the remaining parking lot are sloping earthen berms planted with native trees and grasses. They will bring the wharf its first greenery, aside from weeds, in several generations.

For now, the trail is something of an orphan, dead-ending about 100 feet short of the Smithfield Street Bridge and on its other end at a construction fence blocking the top of the narrow ramp toward Point State Park. The only pedestrian access points are stairways at Stanwix and Wood streets, making the trail more accommodating, for now, to walkers than bicyclists.

There are plans to fix that. A switchback connector will link the trail to the walkway on the east side of the Smithfield Street Bridge, and to the Eliza Furnace Trail and trails beyond that go to Washington, D.C. A cantilevered platform will be added at the other end to carry the trail around Fort Pitt Bridge piers toward the Point.

U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, is seeking a $2.5 million earmark in the proposed federal transportation bill to help pay for the switchback. He said hopes of passing the bill by the end of the year "may be a little optimistic but it's something we're going to try."

"The completion of this [phase] today is going to give us all the impetus we need to get the rest of it done," he told about 200 who attended yesterday's ribbon-cutting.

Several other speakers, including Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, Point Park University President Paul Hennigan and Col. Mike Crall of the Army Corps of Engineers, hailed the project as an emblem of the region's ongoing transformation of its riverfronts from industrial decay to recreational amenity.

"This is not only a quality-of-life issue, it's an economic development issue," Mr. Doyle said. "This is good for everyone."

"This blatant eyesore that has been here forever," said Riverlife co-chair John Oliver, "has materialized into a beautiful park."

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