Rt. 228 corridor work progresses
CRANBERRY TWP — They're not all quite as eye-catching as a tunnel under the road, but infrastructure projects along the Route 228 corridor made significant progress in 2020.
From lights at the junction of Routes 8 and 228 to plans on the Balls Bend realignment and the MSA Thruway, it's been an exciting year for infrastructure in the southern tier of the county.
It may be the least attractive improvement along the corridor, but it should be the most eye-catching, at least if drivers pay attention to traffic signals.At the intersection of Route 228 and Route 8, new signals went online in the middle of November — a project funded not by tax dollars, but by the Middlesex Crossing developer.The L-armed masts holding the new signals will replace those hung from wires, making them a bit more sturdy and less likely to swing wildly. And, Middlesex township manager Adam Hartwig said, they're an example of how residential development can pretty rapidly improve nearby infrastructure.
It's not even the traffic that causes the pain to drive in the Balls Bend section of Route 228 in Middlesex, but rather the curves and changes in elevation make it a “geographically dangerous” stretch of road.Thus, PennDOT began the process of bidding the project to realign the stretch of road and the county and municipalities have worked together to find funding for it.PennDOT spokeswoman Christina Gibbs said the project will widen the road from two to four lanes, and it will straighten the road, both in reducing the elevation changes and in straightening out the curves.Construction on that project is expected to begin in 2021.
The MSA Thruway was for years mocked as the “Disney Plan,” a pie-in-the-sky way of reducing traffic on Route 228.It's coming closer and closer to fruition, with significant progress made this year on laying a tunnel underneath the state route and connecting Cranberry Springs and Cranberry Woods.The prefabricated tunnel, which is laid under the road after excavation, will open this winter, according to Cranberry Township manager Jerry Andree, after more than two decades of planning. The best part? It's not being bored under the road, so traffic disruption on the heavily traveled route is minimal.When it's completed, the MSA Thruway will connect businesses such as MSA Safety Inc. and the Westinghouse Electric Co. to restaurants and shops on the north end of Route 228, with two roundabouts, an exit lane from I-79 northbound and bicycle and pedestrian access.These projects weren't necessarily completed this year — and with the ever-increasing amount of traffic may never be fully completed before another improvement has to be made — but the progress bodes well for the future in the southwest tier of Butler County.
