​Indiana, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is alerting motorists to a road closure on Harbison Road as work continues on the Balls Bend Safety Improvement Project in Middlesex Township, Butler County.

Harbison Road will be closed for 42 days, July 31 through September 11, to construct the new jug handle at Harbison Road.  A jug handle is a type of ramp which allows drivers to change directions without disruptive stops to the flow of traffic. Instead of making a left turn from the left lane, drivers use a ramp on the right side of the road that takes you off the road you're currently traveling on and loops you back around to merge with traffic.  The idea is to keep traffic moving continuously, relieving congestion and delays.

The closure will be between intersection of Harbison Road and State Route 228 to Forsythe Road.  Local residents will have access during construction.  To access Harbison from State Route 228 traffic will continue west on State Route 228 to Davis Road, turn right onto Forsythe Road and enter Harbison Road.

Work will include grading and paving operations to connect the newly constructed jug handle at Harbison Road to new alignment of State Route 228 across existing Harbison Road.

This $26.5 million safety improvement project is anticipated to be completed in January 2025 by Independence Excavating of Independence, Ohio.  The project is a major roadway realignment project involving the addition of a travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane. It also includes the construction of four new structures, realigned local road connections, and a new signalized intersection at State Route 228 and Parks Road.

Motorists can check conditions on more than 40,000 roadway miles by visiting www.511PA.com. 511PA, which is free and available 24 hours a day, provides traffic delay warnings, weather forecasts, traffic speed information and access to more than 950 traffic cameras.

511PA is also available through a smartphone application for iPhone and Android devices, by calling 5-1-1, or by following regional Twitter alerts accessible on the 511PA website. Follow local PennDOT information on Twitter at www.twitter.com/511PAPittsburgh.

Subscribe to PennDOT news in in Armstrong, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, and Jefferson counties at www.penndot.pa.gov/District10. 

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