Pennsylvania Route 228

PA Route 228
Route information
Maintained by PennDOT
Length:	21.1 mi[1] (34.0 km)
Existed:	1928 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 19 in Cranberry Township.
	I-79 in Cranberry Township. PA 8 in Middlesex Township.
East end:	PA 356 in Buffalo Township.
Location
Counties:	Butler
Highway system
Roads in Pennsylvania Interstate • US • State • Legislative ← PA 227 PA 229 →

Pennsylvania Route 228 is an 21-mile (34 km) long state highway located in Butler county in Pennsylvania. The western terminus is at US 19 in Cranberry Township. The eastern terminus is at PA 356 in Buffalo Township. Because of the continued growth in Cranberry Township and Seven Fields, PennDOT is in the planning stages to widen the highway to four lanes between Cranberry and PA 8.

Route description

Route 228 serves as the main thoroughfare across southern Butler County, due to the fact its western end in Cranberry Township connects to both U.S. Route 19 and Interstate 79. In addition to the southern Butler County traffic, the road also carries a large volume of northern Allegheny County traffic that is traveling locally to the numerous businesses along the road. In the south central portion of the county, Route 228 also connects to PA Route 8, a 4-lane divided highway. Finally, Route 228 ends on the eastern side of Butler County at PA Route 356. This terminus is very close to PA Route 28, a limited access highway carrying traffic away from Pittsburgh to the northeast direction. All of these junctions, some major, some minor, contribute to the massive congestion on Route 228

Starting at the western terminus with US Route 19, PA 228 is a four-lane, divided highway. As travelers head east past the I-79 interchange, both sides of the highway are highly developed. A wide-variety of restaurants are located on the south side of the highway, opposite a large strip mall on the north side of the highway.

After crossing the intersection with Franklin Road, drivers approach Seven Fields borough. The road narrows from 4 lanes to 2 lanes (One each direction). From this point on, Route 228 is 2 lanes for the duration of its route (the exception is when it runs concurrent with PA Route 8).

After leaving Seven Fields, drivers enter Adams Township. Although this stretch of roadway isn't highly developed like the neighboring Cranberry Township and Seven Fields portions are, traffic is still a problem. This is because local residents use this stretch of road to commute locally (to Cranberry) or to the city of Pittsburgh via I-79 or US Route 19. This large traffic volume issue is further compounded by the numerous side roads that are well traveled. Many of Rt. 228's intersections with side roads do not have turning lanes or traffic signals. Often drivers have to wait a considerable amount of time to turn onto a side roads because of heavy traffic volume during rush hour. This leads to backlogs in traffic since vehicles have to sit for long periods of time in the only travel lane waiting to turn, and other motorists cannot pass said stopped vehicle.

PA Route 228 bypasses the town of Mars. Traffic is very often slow moving due to slow hill climbing speeds for trucks and heavy traffic volume, in general. Town is accessible through four intersections (In parentheses represents where travelers are coming from):

• Beaver Street Extension: Leads you onto Pittsburgh Street and into town after going straight at the blinker (From the West).
• Pittsburgh Street/Warrendale Road: Pittsburgh Street takes you past St. John's Care Home and into town after going straight at the blinker (From the West or South).
• Mars-Valencia Road: Intersection with 7-11 and Good Ole Uncle Bob's Restaurant. Turns into Irvine Street and after bearing right at the Firehouse, you'll arrive in town on Grand Avenue (From the South or East).
• Brickyard Road: Near the schools. Follow straight until you cross the railroad tracks and then make a right onto Mars-Valencia Road/Irvine Street. After bearing right at the Firehouse, you'll arrive in town on Grand Avenue (From the East).

Shortly after passing Mars Area Middle School, travelers enter Middlesex Township. Before arriving at the intersection with Route 8, drivers travel through an 'S' bend, locally known as "Balls Bend". This bend is notorious for accidents due to reckless driving and tractor trailers over turning. For 1.7 miles, PA Route 228 and PA Route 8 run concurrently (share the same road). After 1.7 miles, PA 228 heads east towards Saxonburg and Freeport, while PA 8 continues north toward Butler and eventually Erie.

While there is still some truck traffic (and now, rural farm traffic), traffic congestion on PA 228 is considerably less than it is west of the intersection with PA 8. Traffic traveling this portion of the road may be destined for PA Route 28 North (Kittanning, Indiana), the town of Freeport, or another location along the Allegheny Valley.

Major intersections

The entire route is in Butler County.

Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Cranberry Township	0.0	US 19 (Perry Highway)
		I-79	I-79 exit 78
Middlesex Township		PA 8 south (Pittsburgh Road)	West end of PA 8 overlap
		PA 8 north (Pittsburgh Road)	East end of PA 8 overlap
Buffalo Township	21.1	PA 356 (Pike Road)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Google, Inc. Google Maps – overview of Pennsylvania Route 228 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=US+19+and+PA+228&daddr=PA+228+and+PA+356&geocode=FTXNbAIdnsA5-ykzisCDqGI0iDGmZNbgkWD65Q%3BFbRTbQIdOQY_-ykXu_xLkZg0iDGlreOvmoHLeg&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=40.768062,-79.645386&sspn=0.93397,2.705383&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=11. Retrieved May 16, 2011. 

External links

• Route 228 Improvement Project