Delayed by two months, work on the MSA Thruway has begun.

According to Cranberry Township manager Jerry Andree, crews began work Wednesday on the multi-million dollar tunnel under Route 228 near the Interstate 79 northbound exit, which connects Cranberry Springs on the north with Cranberry Woods on the south of the state route.

Beginning Monday, road crews will pave from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. in preparation for tunnel excavation work. On May 16, the lanes will be shifted to the north so that excavation can begin.

Andree said there will be “very, very little” disruption to traffic along Route 228 as a result of the project, which the township expects will reduce traffic on Route 228 by 22 percent during morning rush hour and 10 percent during evening rush hour.

Additionally, the township projects up to 2,300 full-time jobs, along with more than 4,000 temporary construction jobs, will be created by the project.

Cars, bicycles and pedestrians will have access to the tunnel in an effort to make the area more pedestrian-friendly.

Work on Route 228 should be completed by the end of 2020, Andree said, with the approaches to the tunnel constructed in 2021. The thruway should be open by the end of winter 2021.

The tunnel is pre-fabricated, meaning the state route will be open-cut to allow segments of the tunnel to be dropped into place.