Kelly seeks $24.8M for local infrastructure projects
U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly, R-16th, said he helped secure $24.8 million in the 2023 budget for regional projects — including $15 million for a road, bridge, sewer plant and fire station in Butler County.
The 2023 federal appropriations bill must still be approved by the full House and Senate.
Kelly said $6 million has been allocated for replacing the Karns Crossing Bridge that connects Butler and Summit townships. The bridge carries Route 68 over the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, the Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad and Connoquenessing Creek.
The project includes intersection improvements and replacement of a twin-cell arch culvert.
“The Karns Crossing Bridge is a critical connector to Butler Memorial Hospital. Any closure of the bridge due to structural deterioration would close and/or restrict access to Butler Memorial Hospital,” Kelly said in a statement. “There are 2,953 businesses and 19,842 people employed within three miles of the project location. The area around the project generates roughly $2,548,026,560 in annual revenue.”
The Brush Creek Watershed sewage treatment plant in Cranberry Township will receive $5 million for an expansion and upgrades. The work is being done to improve in-plant flow management to help the plant handle peak weather flows and improve the quality of the effluent discharge, Kelly said. The upgrades will further limit hydraulic overloading, which is key to reducing the possibility of chemical contaminants or pathogens entering the Brush Creek Watershed, he said.
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