PREFERRED ALERNATIVE RECOMMENDED FOR
ROUTE 228 IMPROVEMENTS
INDIANA, Pa. - PennDOT Engineering District 10 announces that a Recommended Preferred Alternative Alignment for the Route 228 Improvement Project in Butler County has been selected. PennDOT is recommending Alternative 1, also known as the online alternative.
The project includes traffic, engineering and environmental studies on Route 228 from Route 19 in Cranberry Township to Route 8 in Middlesex Township in anticipation of improving mobility within the corridor. Although final design features for the project have not yet been determined, the overall proposal is to widen Route 228 to two lanes in each direction with signalized intersections and a grassy median.
"After much careful study of the project area and consideration of public input, we have concluded that the online alternative best satisfies the project objectives within the context of its communities," said PennDOT District 10 Executive Joseph P. Dubovi, III, P.E. "We recognize the sensitivity of this project in the community and, therefore, fully considered all comments presented to us by community members and local stakeholders before recommending the preferred alternative."
The selected route, known as the Recommended Preferred Alternative, will maintain traffic mostly on the already existing path, although short distances, particularly in the Balls Bend area, will be realigned.
PennDOT had conducted studies on 18 different alignments before narrowing the field to two: The selected online route and an alternative that would have realigned a short section of Route 228 between Brickyard Road and Three Degree Road to follow a path south of Mars Area High School.
The online alternative was chosen because it best satisfied the following project performance measures: Meet project needs, reduce project costs, integrate land use, enhance quality of life and integrate other modes of transportation.
PennDOT's public participation efforts so far in the project have included 10 meetings with a Community Advisory Committee composed of local community members and stakeholders, four public meetings and more than 60 other meetings with individual stakeholders and organizations that have an interest in the corridor.
A Public Hearing, during which comments regarding the Route 228 Improvement Project and the Recommended Preferred Alternative can be made, will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 7, 2007, at the Mars Area High School. A public plans display for the project will be conducted from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. the same day at the same location, giving those in attendance the opportunity to discuss the project with PennDOT representatives and its consultant team.
The public forums will also give members of the public the opportunity to comment on the project's Environmental Assessment document, which will be made public on April 30, 2007.
"To this point, the public has played a vital role in this project’s direction," Dubovi said. "We look forward to continuing that community partnership as we seek a balance for this project between regional mobility needs and quality of life concerns so important to residents of Western Pennsylvania."
More information about the Route 228 Improvement Project, including a detailed question and answer page and graphic representations of the proposed alignment, is available at www.Route228.com. |