CRANBERRY TWP — The state Department of Transportation’s Franklin Road Improvement Project is expected to begin work this fall, according to township engineering and environmental services director Mike Malak.

“It has been sort of a moving target — it was going to be last fall,” Malak said. “But that’s the latest, this fall.”

Malak told the township supervisors Thursday that PennDOT will put the project out to bid in September. He said that construction should be expected not long after that.

This PennDOT project aims to improve a section of Franklin Road in the township spanning from Route 228 to Peters Road.

“It’s a widening and somewhat realignment project,” township manager Dan Santoro said.

Improvements to the state route will include leveling out the surface and bends as well as widening the shoulders. The project also will add turning lanes at vital intersections along the route.

“But we own sewer and water infrastructure along that total improvement project,” Santoro said. “We are required to, in some instances, move sewer lines when we’re in their right of way, but some of the project also will impact our facilities that are outside of the right of way.”

To manage the cost of this, PennDOT and the township have drafted a reimbursement agreement.

“The reimbursement agreement that we’re agreeing to with PennDOT is that, any of our facilities that are within the state right of way, they will pay for 75% of the changes in those lines,” Santoro said.

Any affected facilities that fall outside of the state’s right of way will receive 100% reimbursement.

“And we will actually do the design for our sewer and water line facilities that are impacted by this road improvement,” Santoro said. “But we will be reimbursed for the majority of that cost, at the same ratio pursuant to the reimbursement agreement.”

Santoro will be asking the board to approve the agreement and to move forward with design services for the affected facilities at a board of supervisors meeting on Feb. 2.

“I love the idea of how staff and PennDOT work so well together,” Mike Manipole, board of supervisors chairman, said. “That cooperative agreement where you guys trust each other and work together in the same process, that’s pretty amazing.”

Santoro also told board members Thursday that the township had received grant funding over the last year.

“You’ll see that over the last 12 months we’ve secured $8.4 million in grants for infrastructure for Cranberry Township,” Santoro said. “We’ve been very, very successful — everything from transportation to stormwater to sewer to safety equipment.”

The township received 16 grants in the last year, according to Santoro.

“It’s always about collaboration and building partnerships,” he said.

Staff worked regularly with PennDOT, the Turnpike Commission and the Butler County Commissioners to receive this funding.

“Fortunately, we’ve proven how well we work with those entities and they’re willing to work with us,” supervisor John Skorupan said. “We’re not fighting with them; we’re not arguing with them. We’re working together — that makes a big, big difference. Thank you.”

Santoro emphasized that all thanks for this achievement belonged to the staff.

“Don’t thank Dan,” he said. “The staff does all the hard work.”