A wider shoulder along Ingomar Road as it passes through Allegheny County's North Park is the top priority in a lake area park master plan released today.

The proposal is included in the document prepared for the Allegheny County Parks Foundation that calls for a separate pedestrian path and one-way bicycle trail to improve safety along the busy state road.

The shoulder improvement project would cost about $2.9 million, and the next steps in the process includes identifying sources of funding for the work.

There was a "consensus among the public" that widening Ingomar Road to make it safer for walkers, joggers and cyclists was a critical need, according to the master plan.

Other initial improvement projects listed in the report include:

• $209,000 for improving the Rachel Carson trailhead. The Rachel Carson Trail links North Park to Harrison Hills Park in Harrison.

• $50,000 for a boathouse feasibility study.

• $11,000 for testing a plan for periodic closure of Lake Shore Drive to motor vehicles.

The parks foundation, which commissioned the study, is a non-profit organization created to support and raise private funds for Allegheny County's extensive park system.

The master plan for the area around North Park's man-made lake follows the release of a similar document last year recommending priorities for projects in South Park.

First Published: May 9, 2012, 4:15 p.m.
Updated: May 9, 2012, 4:23 p.m.