Cranberry Township - Official Website - Route 228 Corridor Improvements

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Route 228 Corridor Improvements

Cranberry Township officials want to alert everyone who works or travels along the Rt. 228 corridor to expect a series of ongoing highway projects.

Once completed, these long-planned projects, which involve added turning lanes, signal changes, and a new connecting road, will significantly improve the flow of traffic along this busy commercial corridor. Details on each project will be posted to this page. Bookmark this page as: www.cranberrytownship.org/228

Questions? Please contact the Cranberry Township Business Hub

Email The Business Hub
Ph: 724-776-9861
Website: Cranberry Township Business Hub. building opportunity

What’s going on?

A series of projects that began in the spring of 2012 will continue through the spring 2014, and beyond. Immediate improvements are already evident.

As part of the Township’s Master Plan for the 228 corridor, these improvements will reduce travel times, improve safety, and enable continuing economic development along Cranberry’s Innovation Corridor.

All of the projects described below are the outgrowth of partnerships between Cranberry Township and private developers, state agencies, and other stakeholders.

As a result, you will see significant changes in both the traffic signals and lane configurations at a number of key intersections along 228. This page will give you an idea of what the changes will look like, when you can expect to see them, and how they will affect your travel through the corridor.

As in any road construction project, there will be times where traffic is temporarily delayed or redirected into alternate lanes. This helps to assure the safety of both construction personnel and motorists as the work proceeds. Your patience is always appreciated.

Updated project flyer (9/27/12)

Route 228 Enhancements: Even Better 22
Large file- may take a few minutes to download

Project: Cranberry Woods

Traffic exiting MSA’s Cranberry Woods Business Park onto Rt. 228 currently has three lanes – one right turn for eastbound traffic, one left only, and one combined left and straight lane. Until recently, however, there was nowhere for the straight ahead lane to go. But as the Cranberry Crossroads project advances on the north side of 228, a new road, Cranberry Springs Drive, will open up immediately across from Cranberry Woods Drive, and then continue north to Mars Road. The project will also add new turning lanes on Rt. 228 itself: dual left turn lanes into Cranberry Crossroads for eastbound traffic on 228, a right turn lane for westbound traffic entering Cranberry Crossroads, and two new westbound lanes for traffic exiting Cranberry Springs Drive. The opening dates of the added lanes will be coordinated with the completion of the westbound receiving lanes on 228 and PennDOT’s I-79 ramp project.

Project: Cranberry Springs Drive

This office, retail and restaurant development adjacent to Cranberry Commons includes a new road, Cranberry Springs Drive, which will connect with 228 at its already-signalized intersection with Cranberry Woods Drive. Cranberry Springs will also intersect a new extension of the service road which parallels 228 in front of Cranberry Commons. It then continues north to Mars Road, for which the developer has set aside funds for widening to accommodate bicycle and foot traffic at some future point. New turning lanes will be added to 228 for traffic approaching the Cranberry Springs Dr. intersection from both directions. New westbound thru lanes will also be added between Cranberry Springs Dr. and I-79 to tie into PennDOT’s I-79 ramp project.

Project: Franklin Road

Northbound traffic along Franklin Road at its intersection with Rt. 228 will soon have a dedicated left turn lane, mirroring the road’s pattern on the opposite side of the highway. That will enable the traffic light there to signal protected left turns onto 228 for Franklin Rd. travelers going both directions. The proposed Cardinal Wuerl North Catholic High School, which is building its new campus on the northeast corner of that intersection, will have its own access point on Franklin, north of its intersection with 228. The school project would also create a connector road, Hillmont Drive, at the Mars Rd. and Franklin Rd. intersection. The existing intersection of Franklin and Old Mars Crider Roads will be converted to a right in/ right out design.

Project: I-79 Ramps

Now, westbound drivers on 228 who want to get onto I-79 in either direction must first turn left across traffic to get onto the Interstate’s on-ramps. While they’re making those lefts, the thru traffic on 228 is held back waiting, resulting in a traffic tangle that PennDOT has recognized for years. But, by early 2014, it will be significantly improved with the opening of new ramps on the northern side of 228 linking it to the Interstate. The result: more green time for thru traffic. To make room for that project, the portion of McElroy Road which now intersects 228 will be permanently closed, but not until Cranberry Springs Dr. is open and operational. As a result, no one on Mars Rd. will lose highway access at any time during the project.

Additional information PennDOT District 10 Butler County Projects


Mine Safety Appliances donates land for planned connecting road near Route 228 More info...
Rt. 228 Projects PROJECT MANAGER: Jason Kratsas, Director, Engineering, 724-776-4806 x 1148 PROJECT NAME: Route 228 Corridor Improvements Project Overview: Route 228 is the center of Cranberry’s fast-growing Innovation Corridor. It ties directly into I-79 and the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Route 228 also provides access to both Interstate highways for communities east of Cranberry Township.