Butler, PA (November 4) - In an effort to provide the media an opportunity to meet with project team members prior to the public meeting, a press briefing will be held at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5, 2003, for the Route 228 Improvement project in Butler County.

The press briefing, as well as the public meeting that will follow from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m., will be held at the Mars Area Middle School to present more information on the alternatives that will be carried forward and other details about the project. For more information, contact the District 10 Community Relations Office at 724-357-2829.

PENNDOT Engineering District 10 recently announced that the number of alternatives for the Route 228 Improvement Project has been reduced to five with most of the remaining proposed alternatives online along the existing Route 228. The remaining alternatives include the yellow, dark blue, black and turquoise online alternatives and the green off-line alternative.

After extensive environmental studies and meetings with State and Federal environmental agencies, PENNDOT has determined that the off-line purple, blue and brown-red alternatives (shown on the project map) will not be carried forward into further study. Study on these alternatives will not continue because of environmental impacts and failure to meet the project need of reducing congestion (when compared to the alternatives that will be studied further) on the heavily used Route 228 corridor.

In the interest of keeping the public informed, PENNDOT is offering all of the information that will be presented at the November 5 public meeting in advance on the project's website, www.Route228.com. All displays, maps and the remaining alternatives that will be carried forward into detailed study are available for public viewing on the website. Public comments can also be provided through the website. PENNDOT decided to present the information before the public meeting as a result of feedback from last year's public meeting and suggestions from the project's Community Advisory Committee (CAC).

The range of alternatives was developed by the project team, the Route 228 CAC, and input from previous public meetings. The project team has begun the process to fully analyze all of the remaining alternatives. PENNDOT will continue to meet with the CAC and community groups as the project progresses.

It is important to note the project is in the early stages of preliminary design and, at this point, is still considered to be a study. As the process continues, the project team will gather more information to ultimately decide what the best solution is for Route 228 and the communities it travels through.

The following are anticipated project milestones:

• Fall 2003 - Detailed alternatives analysis

• Summer 2004 - Distribute Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)

• Spring 2005 - Obtain environmental clearance from the Federal Highway Administration on a preferred alternative

• Summer 2005 - Begin final design and right-of-way acquisitions

• Spring 2008 - Begin construction

To obtain a copy of the project map, newsletter or for more information on the Route 228 Improvement Project, visit www.Route228.com or contact the District 10 Community Relations Office at 724-357-2800.