JACKSON TWP — Expansion of the Butler Transit Authority’s Route 528 park and ride lot closed more parking spaces than originally planned when it started Wednesday.

John Paul, executive director of the authority, said the contractor told him that two sections of the roughly 100-space parking lot would need to be closed.

The authority originally thought only one section would be closed.

“It’s our fault that we had a miscommunication,” Paul said. “The contractor was allowed to close both sections of the lot. We thought it was one or the other.”

The extra closure resulted in the already tight parking lot losing nearly half its spaces.

The $1.9 million expansion project will add 200 to 250 spaces to the lot.

Paul said the Butler Transit Authority does not use the lot yet, but will use the expansion to take riders to Pittsburgh in the future.

The New Castle Area Transit Authority already uses the lot for its service to Pittsburgh.

Leonard Lastoria, that authority’s general manager, said the construction has led to parking issues for many of the authority’s riders.

“Yeah, we’re having problems with it,” he said. “There’s no place for people to park.”

Lastoria said the authority has received numerous calls from riders.

“We’re getting all kinds of complaints,” he said.

New Castle runs eight buses to Pittsburgh each day that pass through the Route 528 park and ride.

Buses to Pittsburgh also pass through the Portersville park and ride along Route 488 near Interstate 79.

That location was promoted as an alternative for Route 528 riders but it too is at capacity.

“It’s completely full,” Lastoria said of the lot that has about 80 spaces.

New Castle’s Route 422 park and ride between Route 388 and Baldwin Road, which can fit close to 200 cars, also was offered as an alternative, but has had little impact on the situation.

“Callers are saying Portersville is too full and the Route 422 lot is too far away.” Paul said.

Lastoria said the Route 422 lot has not been filled.

To help the situation, Lastoria said his authority is attempting to find alternative parking for people closer to the Route 528 lot.

“We’re trying to find some other temporary locations,” he said. “We’re in that process now.”

Lastoria said he was working with Cranberry Township officials to find an alternative site. One site in consideration is the Cranberry Township Volunteer Fire Department’s parking station on Ernie Mashuda Drive, about three miles away from the park and ride.

Lastoria said buses would alter their routes to pick riders up at the new locations.

Lastoria said his authority originally thought construction was not going to begin until next year so it was behind in finding alternative places to park.

Both authority leaders said they placed flyers on riders’ cars in the past two weeks telling them of the construction, and they also offer updates on their websites.

While construction has caused some headaches, Paul is confident it will pay off in the end.

“It’s a temporary inconvenience for a long-term improvement,” he said. “The lot has always had issues with parking. There have always been safety issues with people parking illegally. This is a solution to that.”

Lastoria agreed that things should be better when construction is done.

“It’s a bigger parking lot,” he said. “It’s always been really tight there. This will make it a lot better for passengers and buses to get in and out.”

The remaining section of the parking lot will stay open until Feb. 1. At that time, the entire lot will be closed for 90 to 150 days until the expansion project is completed.

The project also will add a waiting shelter.