Leaders mark completion of Freedom Road expansion
CRANBERRY TWP — Drivers may begin to notice a smoother commute through one of the township’s busiest corridors.
Representatives from Cranberry Township, Butler County and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Tuesday afternoon, Oct. 14, gathered for a ribbon cutting to commemorate the completion of the Freedom Road Expansion Project.
The second phase of the multiyear initiative began in 2022 and marks a significant step in modernizing the east-west route that connects the township to Beaver County and other neighboring municipalities.
“I think traffic will move much, much easier through here,” County Commissioner Leslie Osche said. “People will be able to get where they need to go in a much timelier fashion.”
Osche, along with other Cranberry and county officials and state and federal legislators, helped secure a $25 million U.S. Department of Transportation Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant in 2020 that funded new turning lanes, upgraded traffic signals and an overall widening of the road between Haine School Road and Powell Road.
“It was really all about taking advantage of opportunities when they were in front of us,” Osche said.
Construction, which is being led by Gulisek Construction, is expected to wrap up in its entirety sometime in November.
Cranberry leaders, meanwhile, say the results of adding designated sidewalks, crosswalks and bike lanes should make for a more pleasant experience for both pedestrians and motorists.
“That certainly is our hope,” said Bruce Hezlep, chairman of the township supervisors.
He noted that the project should have a substantial impact on economic activity in the area.
“A lot of people are looking for a community like Cranberry to live in, but they don’t want to live in a community if it’s hard to get to work,” Hezlep said. “So this is going to make everyone’s commute to and from the Beaver County area easier as well.”
The latest enhancements build upon the first phase of the Freedom Road improvement project, which expanded the corridor from Commonwealth Drive to Haine School Road. That earlier $20 million effort was completed in late 2022.
Together, the two projects follow the 2021 replacement and expansion of the Freedom Road Turnpike Bridge, creating a continuous stretch of modernized infrastructure aimed at improving traffic flow and safety.
“I think we recognized on the first BUILD project that we had an opportunity and a window that we needed to get this done,” Osche said. “To be able to bring everybody together and do that and then get the second grant and be able to cut the ribbon on this here today is just truly exciting.”
The Freedom Road projects represent one of the largest transportation infrastructure investments in the township’s history and was part of a coordinated effort to support regional growth and improve connectivity throughout the county.
As part of that mission, county leaders are seeking funding to widen an additional segment of road in the area — a 3-mile stretch known as the Mars Railroad Bridge West — in Adams Township.
“It is the most expensive section of road because of the topography in that area,” Osche said. “We’ve managed — with a collaboration of all of our partners and in particular with the help of Delta (a private consulting firm) — to figure out a funding stack to get that done. We’re making an application in Washington, D.C., for the final leg.”
