PennDOT looks to bid Balls Bend in December
Bidding will open in December for the long-awaited Route 228 Balls Bend realignment project.
The realignment project aims to straighten nearly 1.3 miles of Route 228 in Middlesex Township from roughly the Bloom Cafe to Route 8.
This includes bringing Route 228 down near the area of Davis Road and up near Park Road. The renovations will allow for better traffic flow, safer driving conditions and commercial development.
“The project includes substantial horizontal and vertical realignment of the existing road,” said Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT. “(It) will widen the road from two lanes to four lanes.”
The realignment will also provide auxiliary turning lanes and additional traffic signals.
The project is part of the larger Route 228 corridor project, which includes the construction of the MSA Thruway in Cranberry Township and other road improvements.
Preparing for the Balls Bend work, preliminary archaeology digs were conducted on both sides of Route 228 from Davis Road to Old Route 8 in late 2019 to analyze the area for any indicators that could lead to historical site preservation. There were no major findings.
PennDOT presented project drawings to Middlesex Township for approval.
The township, according to township manager Adam Hartwig, consequently developed a Route 228 district overlay. This will allow for appropriate commercial development along parts of the road.
“It's the gateway to Middlesex Township coming east,” Hartwig said. “It's a massive, massive highway with huge benefits.”
The realignment will feed into a private road-widening project Middlesex Crossing developers began earlier this summer at the Route 228-Route 8 intersection. The widening of the eastbound side allows for a designated turn lane.
“They were required to do some short-term construction improvements as part of their development project,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs said the Balls Bend project's cost is currently estimated at $33 million. Funding comes from state and federal entities, including about $12.8 million in federal BUILD Grant money. The BUILD Grant was secured by the county, according to Gibbs.
Hartwig said the Route 228 corridor project continues to be a collaborative effort.
“Everybody got pulled in together on this,” Hartwig said. “This current board of county commissioners that we have is so forward thinking.”
Gibbs said the project is anticipated to be bid in December, with construction beginning in the spring of 2021 and ending in 2024.
On the township's part, planning moving forward will include managing traffic alternatives and working with PennDOT.
“We're going to pay attention with the bidding process,” Hartwig said. “We certainly want to be involved.”
