
Each day more and more people are choosing the northern suburbs to call home. In fact, so many people have discovered the area that this is one of the fastest growing areas in Pennsylvania.
Recent estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau showed that the Seven Fields Borough population increased by more than 128% between 1990 and 1998. With this influx of people, traffic congestion has reached new levels. To combat the congestion, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have taken several initiatives aimed at improving the quality of mobility in the area.
One such initiative is the Route 228 Improvement Project (S.R. 0228, Section 290). The project is focused on Route 228 to the west of I-79 -- locally known as Criders Corners -- from Route 19 in Cranberry Township to Route 8 in Middlesex Township. Phase I of the project includes traffic, engineering and environmental studies on Route 228 from Route 19 in Cranberry Township to Route 8, including a short segment of Route 8 in Middlesex Township. The results of the study will include a recommendation, based on public input, regarding how to improve the Route 228 corridor.