The pool of money from the $5 county fee paid since late 2018 by motorists purchasing vehicle registration will be tapped to help pay for the Balls Bend and Freedom Road construction projects in Middlesex and Cranberry townships, respectively.

Mark Gordon, the county chief of economic development and planning, received approval from the county commissioners Wednesday to pay $1.9 million from the pool of funds created by the $5 fee to the state's Department of Transportation for construction in the widening project at Balls Bend on Route 228 and improvements to Freedom Road in Cranberry Township.

The cost for the widening and improvements at Balls Bend and on Freedom Road between Commonwealth Drive and Haine School Road is $60.2 million, Gordon said.

The $1.9 million will serve as the county's required contribution as the recipient of a $20 million federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant.

Gordon said the current balance in the $5 fee fund is $1.5 million.

Bridge work to be paid through the fund will total $176,000, leaving about $1.3 million in the fund.

Gordon said a loan of $4.9 million from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Bank to augment the $5 fee fund would see $2.2 million go toward the Balls Bend and Freedom Road project and $2 million would provide matching funds for future PennDOT grants for bridge repair work.

Construction on Balls Bend could begin in 2021, Gordon said.

Property acquisitions in the area are currently underway, he said.

Among the funds spent or committed from the $5 fee fund are matching funds for the BUILD grant and road or bridge projects in Cherry, Donegal and Winfield townships.

Gordon said the loan from the state Infrastructure Bank will be discussed at the July commissioners meeting.