The trail is promoted and maintained in part by the Friends of the Riverfront (FOR). The mission of the FOR is to build safe, clean, and accessible riverfront trails as part of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail system to create and maintain an outstanding experience for trail users while providing economic, environmental, and health benefits to the Pittsburgh region.
The Three Rivers Heritage Trail is part of the Great Allegheny Passage, the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail and the Pittsburgh to Erie Mainline Canal and Greenway. Additional connections to existing trails, including the Montour Trail, are currently underway.
Management of the trail falls largely to the municipalities. Friends of the Riverfront serves as a secondary steward, utilizing volunteer labor through a License and Maintenance agreement. This agreement allows FOR to promote the Three Rivers Heritage Trail as a singular entity, to maintain the various site furniture, river access points and a system of direction and interpretive signage. Recent surveys indicate diverse use of the trail for recreation and commuting purposes.
