County seeks $68M to add to Rt. 228 pot
Butler County commissioners hope to speed up renovation work on Route 228 by adding $68 million to the project through a U.S. Department of Transportation Infrastructure for Rebuilding America Grant.
“(If secured), that pretty much finishes the corridor,” Butler County Commissioner Leslie Osche said.
The project aims to widen the road from Freedom Crider Road in Beaver County to routes 228, 8 and — if driving far enough east — 356. It crosses Route 19.
“Butler County has been trying to get PennDOT to do some things with this roadway for well over 40 years,” said Mark Gordon, Butler County chief of economic development and planning.
The county couldn't secure enough funding through normal Transportation Improvement Plans to add necessary safety and economic improvements. It applied for the INFRA Grant this spring and met with federal legislators in May. Osche noted that having proponents at the federal level is important when pursuing federal money. But having local supporters is just as valuable.
“The more skin we have in the game at this level ... the better off we are,” Osche said.
An estimated 52,000 vehicles use the 26.4-mile corridor daily, with a purported $28 billion in commodities moved over it annually.
“This is not a 'build it and they will come' (situation),” Gordon said. “They're already here.”
The corridor is estimated to cost $294 million. Route 228 has $226 million committed to it. It helps that the project area affects many levels of authority.
“This approach involves some border sharing between the county, the municipalities, the state and the federal (government),” Gordon said.Cranberry and Adams townships have contributed financially, and Adams Township supervisors also approved a letter of support for the INFRA Grant at their July 8 meeting.Similar support was given last December when the county secured a $20 million U.S. Department of Transportation Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Developments Grant.The BUILD Grant went toward the Balls Bend Realignment Project, which will straighten Route 228 between Route 8 and Quality Gardens in Middlesex Township. Commissioners raised an additional $4.3 million through pledges from townships.“I think there are still discussions to be had,” Osche added, referencing support from other municipalities.The county should hear news regarding the INFRA Grant by the end of the month or early August. If the funding is secured, the corridor will be completed by 2026.The county is in the right of way acquisitions phase of the Balls Bend project, with plans to finalize designs by December. Gordon noted that utilities will be relocated for construction in the spring and the project will be in the hands of contractors in August 2020. Most of the construction should occur in 2021.
