Work on the Route 422 ramp for the Moraine State Park access project should not affect traffic heading into this weekend's Regatta at Lake Arthur, according to park officials.

Brian Flores, assistant park manager, said the work at the interchange does not block vehicles from accessing the park, even those coming from Interstate 79.

“It really is not affecting the pattern of traffic flow,” Flores said. “A lot of people coming up from (Interstate) 79 get off at the Portersville exit there.”

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation announced in early July that it would be working to improve the Route 422 and West Park Road Interchange, including a new loop ramp from Route 422 eastbound to West Park Road. PennDOT said the ramp could be available by Aug. 2.

During construction of the section of road that runs between Muddy Creek and Worth townships, the ramp was closed and a detour rerouted drivers.

The recent work is only part of the larger project focused on park access.

Joe Painter, PennDOT project manager, said the overall project started in July of 2017 with a $4.5 million price tag. He said work has progressed as expected.

“The work is about 80 percent to 85 percent complete,” Painter said. “Tentative completion is by the end of September.”

In addition to the Route 422 and West Park Road interchange, Painter said the project also involves replacing an existing State Route 8002 ramp with a new two-way road (State Route 4017), improvements to the I-79 and Route 422 interchange and the installation of a traffic signal at the intersection of Route 422 and the I-79 southbound ramps.

Painter said the improved ramps will help.

“The addition of the 422 eastbound off ramp will give eastbound traveling motorists easier access to the park,” Painter said. “They currently have to travel eastbound for two miles to the South Shore exit and then go back westbound on 422 to get to the North Shore.”

He said the newly developed road will make accessing Route 422 easier.

“The new SR 4017 will allow those exiting the North Shore immediate access to 422 west,” Painter said. “Prior to the project, to leave the North Shore and travel west on 422, you had to take West Park Road to Burnside Road to SR 19 and then get back on 422 west.”

Painter said the department was open to a ceremony to celebrate completion of the project.

“We will facilitate any requests from local entities for a ceremony,” he said.

Jack Cohen, president of the Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau, has ideas about a grand opening, and it comes with respect for former state Sen. Mary Jo White, whom he credits as a driving force behind the project.

“We've got to thank her by allowing her to cut that ribbon,” Cohen said.

Cohen said he doesn't want to detract from the project workers, either.

“What they have opened up is just beautiful, and we are lucky to have it done,” he said. “It may have taken longer, but they figured out a better way to do it.”

Cohen said the bureau and the park conducted a study and crunched numbers to find the possible impact of a better access point. He said the study concluded that the new access could bring 300,000 to 500,000 more people each year to the park.

“We think it will add that much more,” Cohen said. “They get close to two million (visitors per) year now.”

He said that impact is worth the wait of more than 20 years for the project to come into the state's focus and be put on the agenda. He again credited White, who gave the project its initial grant money and fought for it throughout her political career.

“All we did was continue to remind them to get it done,” Cohen said. “In my opinion, they should be naming the whole interchange after her.”