West Kittanning Borough motorists will have to take a longer route if they need to get out of town this weekend due to the Route 268/1038 intersection being closed Friday night until Monday morning. The closure is expected to finalize work needed to activate signal lights.
Motorists traveling into Kittanning from the west have endured lots of traffic headaches associated with the Butler Road intersection construction in West Kittanning/East Franklin Township, and will have to tolerate another this weekend.
PennDOT construction crews will close the west leg of the State Route 268 /SR 1038 (Butler Road) intersection this weekend to ensure realignment.
Beginning at 8PM Friday, Route 268 will close on the west leg of the intersection which travels up Franklin Hill Road toward Hilltop Plaza in East Franklin Township. Franklin Hill Road and Belmont South Road (the road behind Quality Inn Royale) will be closed until 6AM Monday, May 21.
The posted detour for Route 268 North traffic is following Route 422 across the Judge Graff Bridge to Business 422 which leads to Route 1038. For Route 268 drivers, crews are recommending south traffic Route 1038 to Business 422 State 422 across the Judge Graff Bridge and back onto 268.
After the weekend closure, the new intersection will be opened to full traffic with the newly installed signal controlling traffic movements in the intersection. The old multi-legs of this intersection will be closed. Northern Avenue will be posted as right-in and right-out only.
This intersection realignment and upgrade project converts the multi-leg intersection located at Route 268 and Route 1038 (Butler Road) into a T-intersection. The project included the removal of two box culverts and installation of a new box culvert over Whiskey Run, stream realignment, traffic signal installation, sanitary sewer relocation, and other construction at the intersection.
The $2.5 million project was under construction Summer 2011 as well before contractors hit a snag in October and had to reset the intersection during the winter. Work is being completed by Plum Contracting of Greensburg and is expected to be completed by mid-November.