CRANBERRY TWP — Partnering with neighboring municipalities, the township submitted a Safe Streets & Roads for All grant Thursday, June 29, to improve pedestrian mobility in southwest Butler County.

“So the intent is for us, Jackson Township, Harmony and Zelienople borough to come together and do this ‘Safety Action Plan,’ if you will,” Cranberry Township manager Dan Santoro said.

Awarded through the federal Department of Transportation, the program is in its second round of funding, with $800 million awarded in 2022.

The program’s planning grant will help the municipalities develop solutions for increased connectivity and safety in the region, according to Santoro.

“It’s all about pedestrian and bike connectivity, so we’re going to look at it both from the perspective of, ‘How do we connect the communities?’ but also ‘Where are those safety improvement needs that come along with it?’” he said.

Planning will look at the municipalities’ current pedestrian infrastructure to expand and improve, Santoro said, as well as intersections and trails.

“But also, ‘How do we connect out to other trail systems?’ and things like that,” he said.

This intergovernmental effort arose out of the Southwest Butler Stormwater Planning Group, according to Santoro, of which all four municipalities are a part.

“We have what we call the Commodore Perry Trail, which is a multi-municipal trail, and we were talking about, ‘How do we continue to enhance and expand that activity?” Santoro said. “Then we saw this opportunity, and that group is really looking for a way to continue to work together — so this is another offshoot of what that group is doing.”

The four municipalities will contribute towards the grants required match, according to Santoro, and share the planning project as a whole.

“We’re going to look at how we can connect the communities even more,” Santoro said. “It also has to have a safety component based on federal guidelines.”

Award announcements are expected late this year.

The township also submitted for a Multimodal Transportation Fund Grant for improvements at the intersection of Brandt Drive and Route 19.

“We’re looking to do some transportation as well as pedestrian and bike improvements at that intersection,” Santoro said.

Brandt Drive is home to the Felson Apartments development, which was recently given preliminary approval for a second 180-unit apartment complex on the road.

“The developer is contributing $300,000 towards the improvements at the intersection,” Santoro said. “We’re trying to grow those and connect the sidewalks that don’t connect.”

The project also would include an additional turn lane and turn movements at the intersection.

“So that’d be an additional lane coming out Brandt; we want to try and do a southbound right-turn lane onto Brandt,” Santoro said. “But then also connect the sidewalk near Barnes and Noble — it ends; it doesn’t come up around the corner.”

Heading north, Santoro said the sidewalk was also a dead end.

“It doesn’t connect all the way up to where Dunkin’ Donuts is,” he said.

The project would additionally make that connection.

“It’s improving the overall pedestrian circulation and traffic at that intersection,” Santoro said. “That’s what this is for.”