The PA Route 228 corridor in Butler County, Pennsylvania, is in an area of northern Pittsburgh suburbs that has seen significant development, with more projected in the coming years. PennDOT, District 10-0 has procured engineering services for a series of capacity improvements along the corridor. As part of this initiative, a design team led by Erdman Anthony was tasked with designing improvements at the PA 228 intersection with Pittsburgh Street and Warrendale Road. To support the increasing traffic volumes anticipated over the next 15 years, a through-lane was added on PA 228, as were auxiliary turn lanes on all approaches and a bike lane on the Pittsburgh Street and Warrendale Road approaches. The intersection widening required an innovative two-stage traffic control scheme to accommodate high traffic volumes safely during construction, including school buses, without the use of lengthy detours. Other design challenges included effective intersection signalization, maintaining access to local businesses, and coordination with eight different utility owners. A Level 1B CEE was completed by the Erdman Anthony team to obtain environmental clearance.
The project also included replacement of an existing arch structure over a tributary to Breakneck Creek that is adjacent to the intersection. It was replaced with a 128-footlong 16-foot by 8 foot-precast concrete box culvert that accommodated the widened roadway. Our staff also completed a hydrologic/hydraulic analysis to obtain a GP-11 waterway permit for the structure.