CRANBERRY TWP — Work has begun on projects to reduce congestion on two of the township’s busier roads.

Construction is planned this summer for the intersection of Freedom Road with Valley Forge and Parkwood drives.

The road will be widened at the intersection to make way for new left turn lanes for both eastbound and westbound traffic.

The project also includes upgrading signal timing and coordination for six intersections on Freedom Road.

Folino Construction of Oakmont was awarded an $869,869 contract by the state Department of Transportation for the work, according to its website.

Utility companies are relocating lines at the intersection now to prepare for the construction, township manager Jerry Andree said.

There will be lane restrictions and minor delays, but there will not be any lane closures.

That project is expected to be done by November.

The township also is having an engineering study done to improve the timing of its traffic signals on Rochester Road.

In March, the supervisors approved a $9,583 study by Whitman, Requardt and Associates of Seven Fields. Half of the cost is covered by a state grant.

Rochester Road has signals at the intersections with Route 19, Thompson Park Drive, Graham Park Drive, Haine School Road and Powell Road.

Though there will be no physical improvements, officials hope that retiming or better synchronizing the signals will yield noticeable effects.

“We struggle right now at peak times,” Andree said. “Graham Park has baseball starting at 6 p.m. and everyone is trying to turn in there at once.”

Andree said he expects the changes recommended by the study to be in place by the fall.

The township this week started in on resurfacing some of its roads.

It will spend $1.2 million on resurfacing this year. That is a higher figure than in most years, but the township saved money in its public works budget because of a mild winter, Andree said.

A full list of what roads will be worked on is available on the township’s website. It lists roads in 22 neighborhoods or housing plans that will be affected.

The public works department also is implementing a more detailed system for evaluating and grading the condition of roads to better plan for work.

The goal is to schedule road resurfacing for township roads before they become riddled with potholes.