Butler, PA (May 23) - - PENNDOT District 10 is announcing that traffic restrictions and slow-downs will occur on State Route 228 between Route 8 and Cranberry beginning this week as crews collect traffic data to begin the engineering work on the Route 228 East Improvement Project.

Phase I of the project includes traffic, engineering and environmental studies on Route 228 from Route 19 in Cranberry Township east to Route 8, including a short segment east 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.

"We are extremely pleased to begin the preliminary work on this important project for Butler County," said Richard H. Hogg, District Engineer. "The local community will have the opportunity to be involved in the project's development and help us create improvements based on public input."

PENNDOT has hired KCI Technologies, Inc. (KCI), of Monroeville to manage the engineering and environmental studies for the project. McCormick, Taylor & Associates, Inc. (MTA) will work with KCI to develop and implement a public involvement program for the project.

As part of the initial start up of work on this project, KCI will conduct origin/destination traffic surveys to monitor traffic patterns in the corridor on Vehicles will not be stopped; however, they will be slowed using standard PENNDOT signing and flagging. Vehicles will be tracked through the corridor to determine the percentage of through-trips and to determine the origin and destination of motorists' trips. The data will be critical in determining what kinds of improvements are warranted.

Two identical open house meetings will be held on June 20 and 21, from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Mars Middle School on Route 228. The meetings will provide members of the communities in the project area the opportunity to learn about the project and provide feedback to the Project Team. A Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be formed to assist PENNDOT throughout the project's development. More information about the CAC and applications for membership will be provided at the open house meetings.