The long march along 228

Improving the Rt. 228 corridor has been Cranberry’s top transportation priority for years. So when negotiations for the $85 million package of roadway improvements that we had been working toward collapsed earlier this year, we were disappointed. But much to its credit, PennDOT immediately came back with commitments for a handful of worthwhile, but less expensive projects around the intersection of 228 and I-79. One of them – a stretch of new roadway between the I-79 northbound off ramp and the entrance to Cranberry Woods – went from start to finish in just three weeks. Amazing. At the same time, even though PennDOT is scaling back the pace of its overall program of 228 upgrades, it has not abandoned the vision; any improvements made in the future will still have to conform with their master plan for the road, which they call an ‘urban boulevard.’ Interestingly enough, that concept is patterned after the segment of 228 we struggled so hard to build here in Cranberry eight years ago – with planter islands, sidewalks, turning lanes, and so forth. So even though we’ve suffered a setback, we are very pleased that PennDOT has validated our vision for the road and that someday our shared vision will be realized.