The view from Brian Harper and Bonnie King's house on Allemande Lane in Middlesex Township, with a view of a construction project on Route 228. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

MIDDLESEX TWP — Brian Harper and Bonnie King used to be able to look out from the front of their home on Allemande Lane and see a row of greenery. Now all they see is road construction, and all they hear is traffic on Route 228.

Harper and King purchased their home in February 2021, and live there with their one child and a dog. At the time of the purchase, the home and the rest of the neighborhood were surrounded by trees that did a good job of blocking noise from the busy Route 228.

Not long after Harper and King bought the house, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation embarked on its Balls Bend Improvement Project, which aims to expand a section of Route 228 by adding a center turn lane and an additional travel lane in each direction.

Brian Harper and Bonnie King's house on Allemande Lane in Middlesex Township has a clear view of the construction project on Route 228. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

“The goal of the Balls Bend Project is to create a safer roadway that can better handle the volume of traffic through the area,” said Christina Gibbs, community relations coordinator for PennDOT District 10, which includes Butler County. “It is a major roadway realignment project.”

The project required PennDOT and their contractor to operate on a portion of Harper and King’s property.

“We bought the house in February. We were told they had an easement to use the property, and that was it,” King said. “We came home from work one day and all the trees were gone. So it all happened in, like, one day.”

Harper also accused the contracting firm, Independence Excavating, of leaving his yard in poor shape after they operated on it, as well as grading the area in such a way that a section of the yard is prone to flooding.

“This whole area … gets completely flooded because they didn't raise it up high enough to properly drain the water,” Harper said. “It doesn't even have to be a real hard downpour. If we just get a steady rain for a few hours, it floods.”

Harper said his lawn mower has sustained damage because of debris the contracting company has left in his yard.

“I've screwed mower blades off, and I've screwed belts up because of how bad the ruts are,” Harper said. “I've got a cable sticking out of the ground that I hit with my mower. My kid found it sticking out the following week.”

The couple has planted bushes and trees to replace the ones that were removed, but those will take years to grow enough to block out noise and light from highway traffic.

“Now, when the cars come and we're up here, we get blinded by every single car light,” Harper said.

“I understand that construction projects can be an inconvenience, especially those lasting for long periods of time or for those living directly in the construction area,” Gibbs said. “Easements vary depending on the needs of the project and can vary throughout the project limits. When evaluating the project needs, we will only take what is necessary to deliver the project.”

The couple said they are far from alone in having their quality of life damaged by the construction project. At least five households on his street, and some others across the street, are in the same position.

“There’s five of us, and that’s just in this section,” Harper said. “It’s this whole area over here.”

According to court records, there are at least two cases involving residents on Route 228 taking action against PennDOT, seeking compensation. Both of these cases were filed in June 2021, and at least one was settled in April 2024.

“The vast majority (of their property) was taken, but they were left with a small piece that had no access,” said attorney William Bresnahan, who represented the plaintiffs in both cases. “What they were seeking was monetary damages.”

Harper and King also considered taking legal action against PennDOT.

“But there goes thousands of more dollars that we would have to spend to get an attorney,” Harper said. “If (PennDOT) would just do their job … there would be no issues, but they do not care at all.”

In the meantime, the two said they have exhausted every other option in communicating with PennDOT and the contracting company.