CRANBERRY TWP — A traffic tunnel will be built beneath Route 228 to get vehicles and pedestrians under, not across, the busy highway.

The tunnel, to be called the MSA Thruway, will connect the Cranberry Springs development on the south side of the highway with the Cranberry Woods development on the north side.

The cost is estimated to be $10 million of which Cranberry Springs developer Gary Sippel will pay 80 percent, township manager Jerry Andree said.

The township supervisors can vote next Thursday to approve a design contract with engineering firm Herbert, Rowland and Grubic for $372,000 for the project.

Officials hope for the design to be finished by the end of 2016 and for construction to take place in 2017, Andree said.

The tunnel will create improved access for motorized vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians as residential and commercial developments grow on both sides of the highway. It also will take traffic off the always-busy Route 228.

Andree said there are about 7,500 employees who come in and out of Cranberry Woods each day and there will eventually be a similar number coming in and out of Cranberry Springs.

There also are plans for about 300 apartment units, already approved by the supervisors, in the Village of Cranberry Woods.

Officials hope that the area will become more friendly to pedestrians and bicyclists. Crossing Route 228 on foot now is hard, Andree said.

“It's difficult for someone on foot. Anytime you try and cross six lanes of highway that's tough,” he said.

Officials updated a master plan for the corridor six years ago, but a tunnel or bridge in the area has been discussed for more than 10 years, said Jason Kratsas, township director of engineering and environmental services.

“We always knew that the traffic situation on 228 would require special attention,” he said.

It has been dubbed the MSA Thruway, because MSA, headquartered in Cranberry Woods, donated land valued at $3.2 million on the south side of Route 228 that is necessary for the project.

The portion of the road that will be beneath Route 228 will be about 150 feet long, Kratsas said. Construction crews will dig about 25 feet down with the final 6 feet to be more rocky, but no blasting will be necessary.

The road will have two northbound lanes, one southbound lane, a bike trail and a sidewalk. The opening at each end will be large enough to let in plenty of natural light, but the design will call for lighting to ensure it is safe for pedestrians, Kratsas said.

Route 228 will remain open during the project.

The township hope construction can be finished by the end of 2017 because the state Department of Transportation plans to replace the Freedom Road bridge over the Pennsylvania Turnpike in 2018, which will disrupt traffic on the road.

One hurdle for the tunnel project was to get permission from both the PennDOT and the Federal Highway Administration.

When working with PennDOT, officials discovered that a tunnel would be less complicated than a bridge because it would allow the township-maintained road and the state maintained road to be separate, Kratsas said.

The tunnel will not connect to Interstate 79, but since it will be close to it, the township's engineers had to work with the federal agency too.

Cranberry Springs is part of the way through phase one of its development. The UPMC Lemiuex Sports Complex was completed and opened last year, and a Courtyard by Marriott hotel is under construction.

Also planned for phase one is a Firebirds Wood Fired Grill and another building for several retail and restaurant businesses.

The township has said that phase two of the development may not begin until the tunnel is open.