Details of Route 228 upgrade heard
MIDDLESEX TWP — A crowd converged on the township municipal building Thursday night to hear the details on the Balls Bend Project, a major infrastructure upgrade that seeks to realign and widen Route 228.
Dozens of residents questioned representatives from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to better understand the project and how it impacts them and their properties.
The Balls Bend Project, officials explained, seeks to straighten out a sharp curve near the intersection with Harbison Road and redirect the route to dip just south of Allemande Lane. It would reconnect with the existing route on the western end of the bend.
The project also will expand the road so that there will be two lanes traveling in both direction with occasional turning lanes to accommodate future increases in traffic.
Mark Rozich, state project manager, explained the work is expected to impact a number of properties including six houses, one business and several land-only properties. PennDOT hopes to begin discussions to purchase those properties from the owners by this summer.
Many residents expressed excitement for the project, though not everyone was without concerns.
Tom McMeekin, township resident and owner of Quality Gardens and Bloom Cafe in Adams Township, said the overall design was “wonderful,” but he is concerned about the impact it may have on his business.
“If they decide not to allow access to my business ... it's going to be disastrous,” he said.
Two businesses lie on the north side of Route 228 so traffic from the west would have to turn left, something the new, widened route may not allow.
Rozich said this would be accommodated with a “jughandle,” or additional road that motorists could use to turn around after driving past the business.“The frustration with PennDOT is they tend to go behind closed doors,” McMeekin said. “They're not treating us as customers.”Still, he said the project was “very much needed.”Another township resident, Tim McTighe said he's excited for the improvements and hopes they could open up development opportunities for his property, which sits at the northeast side of the intersection of Route 228 and Route 8.“I think it's tremendous,” he said. “It's going to release a lot of pressure. It's going to clean a lot of things up.”Another attendee, Brad Wetzel lives in Seven Fields borough and said he is also excited about the plan.“I think it's going to be great,” he said. “Just traveling to Route 8 will be easier.”Rozich said there's an estimated 14,500 cars that travel on Route 228 daily, with that number expected to increase as ongoing housing developments are built.He is hoping construction work will begin by the summer of 2021 and said it could take around three years to complete, though he hopes to “compress” that time frame if possible.Rozich added that the project was made possible by a grant obtained by the county commissioners late last year. Without that, he said, the project would have taken about twice as long to complete.
