CRANBERRY TWP — No endangered rattlesnakes have been found so far along the route of the proposed Heights Drive Extension as the township prepares to file its final report at the end of this month.

The project is the $2 million extension of Heights Road to Route 19 across from Victory Family Church.

The Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission had ordered a study of the land to see if there is a snake habitat there, a process that has taken several months to complete.

Chris Urban, the commission's chief of natural diversity, said late last year the study was absolutely necessary because the massasauga rattler is known to live in the area and needs to be protected as an endangered species.

"Butler is a known county for this species, and in Cranberry, we definitely have a population," he previously said. "The most recent sightings were in 2003 or 2004, so it's not like it's a historic area where we haven't seen them in 30 years. It's an area that is known to harbor them."

Construction of the road project now is slated to begin next year, according to Jason Kratsas, Cranberry's director of engineering.

The project will be funded through the township's Transportation Improvement Project funds, which are collected from developers based on the impact of traffic from their developments.

Construction of Heights Drive Extension, which township officials had hoped to begin this year, was delayed because of the required survey.

"Once the survey is filed (with the commission), we can proceed full force," Kratsas said.

The township won't receive a permit to begin construction until the survey is complete and approved by the commission.

The permitting process is expected to take four to six months after the final snake report is filed, Kratsas said.

Kratsas said Cranberry has spent an additional $9,000 beyond the projected cost of the project to complete the rattlesnake environmental survey.

It's not the first time a township project has been interrupted by the Massasauga rattlesnake — an endangered and poisonous snake.

Cranberry previously has had three projects rattled because of this snake, which requires a land survey to ensure the species isn't harmed or killed in the construction process.

The state usually requires such a survey if the area is a wetland or has streams because such conditions are ripe for the rattlesnake.

The Massasauga rattler makes its home in low-lying marshlands or swamps.

The snake is usually 1 to 2 feet long and is found in parts of the United States and northern Mexico.

In the three prior surveys conducted in the township, a rattlesnake has never been found.