Three Degree Road closure impacting traffic for schools, businesses
Throughout the past two years, motorists in the southern part of Butler County have dealt with frequent slowdowns due to road construction as a result of an improvement project along Three Degree Road.
The latest began on July 27, when a section of Three Degree Road between Route 228 and Denny Road was closed to allow for construction crews to install a series of safety improvements. This closure is expected to last until Monday, Aug. 11, barring any unexpected delays.
“This safety improvement project is designed to provide better and safer traffic flow through the area, with the addition of turning lanes, side road improvements, guide rail upgrades, signal replacements, signage and pavement markings, sidewalks, ADA ramps, jughandles and a roundabout,” said Christina Gibbs, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, District 10.
The affected section of Three Degree Road runs through a busy section of Adams Township, which included businesses, such as a recently-opened Aldi grocery store, Sheetz, GetGo, the Mars Home for Youth and Mars-Bethel Golf.
Also located along the section of road are most of the Mars Area School District buildings, including the Primary Center, the elementary school, the Centennial School, the middle school, the high school and the athletic complex.
“The current Three Degree Road closure has limited access to Mars Area High School to one entrance along Route 228,” said Josh Schwoebel, communications director for the district. “All District parents and staff were notified of the restriction.”
However, Schwoebel says the impact of the closure is expected to be limited. All of the district’s back-to-school events, such as new student orientation and open houses, are scheduled for after the planned completion of the road work.
“The district is in constant contact and has been working closely with PennDOT to minimize any impacts to school traffic,” Schwoebel said.
The first day of the 2025-26 school year for the Mars Area School District is Thursday, Aug. 21. However, Schwoebel said a number of employees, including office staff, custodians and administrators, are at work throughout the summer.
Joseph Vivirito, owner of Mars-Bethel Golf, said the construction hasn’t had much of an impact on business.
“We actually have been doing fantastic, funny enough. This past week has been one of our best ever,” Vivirito said. “The construction guys are very easy to deal with. It’s just been kinda dusty around here.”
According to PennDOT’s website, the Three Degree Road project began in December 2022 and is expected to finish in November 2026 at an estimated cost of $26.55 million.
After the current road construction, Gibbs said there is still some work left to be done on Three Degree Road.
“Three Degree Road will still have some sidewalk, paving and curb to be installed after the detour is finished,” Gibbs said. “This work will either have no impact for motorists or be completed at night under flagging. The next major work is along the south side of Route 228 in front of the Mars Area High School to widen the roadway’s future eastbound lanes. This work has already began and will continue throughout the rest of the year.”
The Three Degree Road project is just one component of the wider Route 228 Corridor Improvement Project, which Gibbs said will lead to the reconstruction of about 3,600 feet of road along Three Degree Road and 13,200 feet of road along Route 228
