The harm that Butler County could experience if the state pulls the plug on the Route 228 improvement project can legitimately be described as staggering.

Such a decision would stick a knife in the heart of Simon Property Group's plan to build nearly 1 million square feet of retail shops, offices and residential units along the Route 228 corridor. Well before the latest concerns about the future of the road project, Simon had expressed impatience about the failure of the project to get under way and indicated it might abandon its development and retract the $40 million it had pledged to the road upgrade.

Of equal concern is what impact shelving or scaling back the road project might have on Westinghouse Electric's building of a new global headquarters in Cranberry Woods. That Westinghouse project is to bring 3,000 workers to Butler County.

Might Westinghouse rethink some components of its move here — and the number of employees assigned here — if the road project is axed? Although no official statement has come from the company, it's not unreasonable to feel uneasy about that scenario.

Then there are the unknowns — the other new, not-yet-announced business or residential developments that might be lost as a result of the highway decision.

For local officials, what issues factored in to the state Department of Transportation's decision to begin rethinking its $24 million commitment to Route 228 is still just speculation.

Legitimate questions can revolve around whether the situation is purely money-based stemming, for example, from the state's stepped-up focus on repairing deteriorated bridges. It's also worth considering whether the county might be experiencing political fallout stemming from county lawmakers' resistance to Gov. Ed Rendell's budget and statewide project initiatives.

Much money, including highway money, has come to Butler County during the Rendell years, but the governor, a Democrat, has not received a measure of support equal to that investment here from the local all-Republican lawmaker delegation.

Meanwhile, the governor also received strong resistance to his proposal to toll Interstate 80 from Republican U.S. Rep. Phil English, who, although he doesn't represent Cranberry Township, nevertheless represents a big portion of Butler County.

Tolling I-80 would have injected a big financial boost to Rendell's hopes of making huge strides on highway and bridge repairs and probably would have ensured the Route 228 improvements.

The fate of many of Rendell's sought-after road repairs now are in limbo, the uncertainties further compounded by the General Assembly's good judgment in refusing to accept a private bid for leasing of the Pennsylvania Turnpike — a bid that seemed low for the amount of toll road involved.

The important phrase at this time is "if the state pulls the plug on the Route 228 project." Apparently that decision has not been finalized, at least not publicly.

But local leaders are fearing the worst, based on what they've heard thus far.

The first mission is to learn all of the details surrounding the Route 228 project. That requires local leaders to meet with PennDOT officials, including the state secretary of transportation.

As part of that, the transportation secretary should be invited here to look firsthand at the progress in the Route 228 corridor and to see what's at stake if the proposed project is scaled back or shelved.

Local officials and lawmakers also should seek a meeting with the governor.

Until then, local leaders need to start working on a strategy involving all components of the Route 228 picture, including Westinghouse, Simon and any others who could help present a strong case on the roadway's behalf. That will necessitate a compilation of data focusing on jobs, financial impact, tax revenue that's at risk and other enterprises that a successful completion of the Route 228 project would impact in a positive way.

The bottom line is that the county must assemble the strongest case possible on behalf of keeping the project on track. That should not include bad-mouthing the state or administration for the uncertainties that have evolved.

The difficult national economy has complicated not only Pennsylvania's fortunes, but also those of other states.

The administration faces fiscal challenges, but that should not involve destruction of initiatives that could hurt the state in the long run.

And that's what's at stake when the Westinghouse and Simon projects are considered.

There are grounds for puzzlement amid the challenge that lies ahead. It's curious that it's taken two weeks for the public to learn that Route 228 improvements might be facing a cutback or worse.

Local officials got the first inkling of the troubling development at a meeting two weeks ago hosted by state Sen. Jane Orie, R-40th, and state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe, R-12th, at the Cranberry Township municipal building.

Thus, some time might have been lost in regard to preparation of a strategy on how to address the situation. Officials at the meeting should not have kept the information from the public for so long.

Highway project setbacks aren't new to Butler County. The important Cranberry Connector project was delayed by funding constraints, and a scaled-down — but effective — version of the original plan now is serving the motoring public.

The important thing is that the project was built and is a genuine asset to efficient traffic movement.

So too must the Route 228 project move ahead—without further delays and without being the basis for staggering local economic losses.

Whether the project is saved will deliver an important message about local leaders' effectiveness and willingness to compromise.