Mayor Luke Ravenstahl today encourages residents to attend the Department of City Planning’s public kickoff of MOVEPGH, the City’s first transportation plan.  MOVEPGH will serve as a 25-year plan that evaluates transportation needs and opportunities in order to provide a cohesive vision that will guide transportation strategy and investment. The meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m., tonight, at Carnegie Mellon Universities’ Porter Hall, room 100. At the event, project stakeholders will present MOVEPGH’s vision and goals, and launch the public planning process which includes community meetings this spring and summer.

“I join residents in their concern for the future of our public transportation and through MOVEPGH, we will improve transportation in the region by combining economic development planning with transportation planning in order to maximize the benefits of a complete multi-modal transportation system,” said Ravenstahl. “This ambitious, forward-thinking project will help to ensure that walking, biking, driving, mass transit and our waterways are all working together to better connect people with where they live, work and play.”

Through MOVEPGH, all six agencies that are responsible for maintaining the City’s transportation systems will be brought together to work toward common goals and funding. The 25-year plan will include three major components: a bicycle/pedestrian plan, a street design manual and a multi-modal transportation plan. MOVEPGH will provide a list of short and long-term transportation improvement projects, and make policy recommendations that align with federal transportation funding opportunities.

"The bicycling community is looking forward to working with the City to create a bold, multi-modal transportation plan that will catapult Pittsburgh into the 21st century, and provide a comprehensive vision on how people get in and around our City,” said Scott Bricker, Bike Pittsburgh’s executive director.

This year, the Department of City Planning will host a series of public meetings, stakeholder and one-on-one meetings, and four open-house workshops to solicit public input. The project’s website, PittsburghPA.gov/MOVEPGH, will provide residents and stakeholders with up-to-date project information, as well as a project overview.

In 2010, Mayor Ravenstahl formed a MOVEPGH Task Force and Management Committee with diverse membership representing community planning, transportation, infrastructure and development entities, along with mode and user advocacy groups. A project consultant, AECOM, was then chosen following a competitive selection process to work with these stakeholders and encourage additional involvement to develop the plan.

MOVEPGH is funded by the City of Pittsburgh as well as through grants from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, and the Heinz Endowments.  The project is managed by the City of Pittsburgh Department of City Planning.  MOVEPGH is a component of the City’s first-ever comprehensive plan, PLANPGH.