Marburger Road runs through Adams and Forward townships. William Pitts/Butler Eagle

Two Butler County transportation improvement projects received a combined $338,300 from the Multimodal Transportation Fund.

Forward Township was awarded $125,000 for a project to widen Marburger Road, which runs through both Forward and Adams townships. The project aims to widen the road from 19.5 feet to 21 feet.

Forward Township manager Tom Hartwig said the project was a necessary one, citing the nearby Peachmont Farms housing development, as well as the proposed Merten Farms housing plan. The latter was given final approval by the township board of supervisors in March 2024.

Marburger Road is 5,578 feet long, with 4,396 feet in Forward Township and the rest in Adams Township.

“(The widening is) an extremely needed project,” Hartwig said. “The road is narrow and very much needs to be widened.”

In addition, to improve safety for motorists, Hartwig said the borough is aiming to shave off a “blind hill” which currently exists in the middle of the road.

Zelienople Borough received $213,000 for preliminary design work on a project to connect Route 68 to Route 19, which is intended to alleviate congestion on main street.

“Zelienople’s investment in their Main Street continues to pay dividends for the area, and now we are making it even safer for the many crowds of people who gather in Zelienople for the large community parades and one of the nicest main streets in the area,” said state Rep. Stephenie Scialabba, R-12th, in a news release announcing the grant.

The Multimodal Transportation Fund is administered by Pennsylvania’s Commonwealth Financing Authority to assist boroughs with improving their infrastructure. In total, the CFA awarded $87,415,247 for 224 projects across the state of Pennsylvania.