CRANBERRY TWP - Officials involved in the Cranberry Township Area Transit study hope to have viable transit alternatives identified this month and an intergovernmental plan in place by late August or early September.

The plan is to provide a better way for residents of southwestern Butler County and northwestern Allegheny County to move around this region, as well as get to Pittsburgh and the Oakland section of the city, all on public transportation.

A steering committee made up of transportation and government officials will review the plan in late summer and take the rest of the year to look at how the plan might be funded.

The study is currently at its midpoint and slightly ahead of schedule, said Bruce Ahern of the Michael Baker Corp., commissioned to gather the data for the study.

Ahern is evaluating the needs of area residents and identifying transportation options.

The study area includes Cranberry, along with the boroughs of Callery, Evans City, Harmony, Mars, Seven Fields, Valencia and Zelienople, and the townships of Adams, Forward, Jackson and Middlesex.

Also part of the study is Marshall and Pine townships in Allegheny County.

In its initial stages, the transit study has gauged the needs and wants of the community and have developed a broad list of available options. The steering committee and transportation consultants will now look to narrow those options based on viability and the possibility of future funding.

This study is still slated for completion by December 2004.

The agencies involved in the planning include Cranberry, the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, Butler County and Butler Township City Joint Municipal Transit Agency (The Bus). Study partners also include the Port Authority of Allegheny County, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Federal Transit Administration.

The steering committee will meet again on July 22.

At that meeting, the committee will review the initial findings of the study that includes a number of currently ongoing and planned projects for the township.

Those projects include the proposed Route 228 improvement project, the township's new town center plans and the Park Place neo-traditional housing development planned for west of the

state

Turnpike near the new Graham Park.

The initial finds of the study have identified five needs:

Current services and infrastructure are inconsistent with the goals and vision of the Cranberry region. The township is looking for a less auto-oriented, more balanced investment strategy focused on transit and compatible land use.

Ahern said the township has a burgeoning demand for high-quality commuting connections to the city of Pittsburgh with easy connections to Oakland, with its university and medical facility destinations.

Modernized and expanded transit services are needed to support job access, shopping and social and recreational needs.

"The transit system could provide local circulation within and around Cranberry, Pine and Marshall townships and may, in the future, extend to small cities like Zelienople, Mars and the city of Butler," Ahern said.

Major corridors and key activity centers should be connected with adequate and affordable transit services.

"Quality is everything, supplemented by an appropriate program of amenities such as sidewalks and shelters," Ahern said. "Information technology system support for rider information and fleet management have strong value."

Significant support infrastructure is needed as part of the base program.

The development of a central hub facility with easy access to a high-speed commuting system and an appropriate mix of transportation should be considered, said Ahern, as well as expanding capacity and spacing of park-n-ride lots and creating more pedestrian and bike linkages.

The plan and its implementation should be in phases so that it is financially viable and can be sustained. A capital improvement program should be a part of the strategy.

Similarly, funding of operating needs should be consistent with the availability of local and state resources.