Throughout the Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection Project, Mars Area School District will be working in cooperation with PennDOT to provide updates and information regarding the project

 

As spring has sprung, work on the Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection Project has already begun to pick up.

 

In late April, the new signalized intersection on Route 228 at the new connector roadway, linking Route 228 directly to Brickyard Road at The Gables will be in place, says Tina Gibbs, PennDOT community relations officer. In mid-May, a portion of Brickyard Road, from The Gables east to Route 228, will be closed while Penn-DOT crews widen and replace the existing roadway. A 30-day detour will be posted.

 

Parents/guardians are asked to note that this road closure will affect the route that many take during morning/afternoon student drop-off/pick-up as well as midday kindergarten pick-up/drop-off as the Mars Area School District Administration Office and Mars Area Primary Center cafeteria entrance will only be accessible via the roadway connecting Mars Area Elementary School to the Administration Office parking lot. The Mars Area Primary Center campus entrance and exit along Route 228 will not be affected by the road closure.

 

In June, construction will begin on an access road that will run parallel to Route 228 in front of Mars Area Primary Center and will connect the school’s parking lot to Brickyard Road. The work will include newly configured parking lots at the Primary Center and Administration Office as well as sidewalks and ADA accommodations, says Gibbs.

 

During the construction, access to the District’s Administration Office and Mars Area Primary Center will only be available via the Doc’s Way access road (by way of Three Degree Road). All work is expected to be completed prior to the start of the 2024-2025 School Year, at which time, all Route 228 access to Mars Area Primary Center, Mars Area Elementary School and the Administration Office will be by way of Brickyard Road.

 

In addition, construction on the new “Milky Way” access road behind Mars Area High School is progressing and is scheduled for completion prior to the start of next school year, says Gibbs. The new roadway will connect the high school’s rear parking lot to Three Degree Road.

 

The Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection project is designed to provide better and safer traffic flow throughout the area with the addition of turning lanes, side road improvements, guide rail upgrades, signal replacements, signage and pavement markings, sidewalks, ADA ramps, and two traffic circles. The overall project is anticipated to be fully completed in November 2026.

 

Throughout the construction project, Mars Area School District is working in cooperation with PennDOT to provide updates and information, when available. 

 

Also of note, the Balls Bend Safety Improvement Project is entering the final phase of construction. Nighttime flagging with single lane closures will occur on Monday, April 15, on Route 228 at the Harbison Road/Park Road intersection; and, throughout the month, line painting and signal work will continue (weather permitting) and the new left turn lane onto Park Road will open. In addition, Route 228 traffic will be changing from a single lane to one lane eastbound and one lane westbound across the bridge near Davis Road.

 

This overall project, which is expected to be completed in January 2025, includes the addition of a travel lane in each direction and a center turn lane as well as the construction of four new structures, realigned local road connections, and a new signalized intersection at Route 228 and Park Road.

 

To receive news and updates on current and future PennDOT District 10 projects, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/District10. In the right-hand column, scroll down to “Subscribe to District 10 News,” enter your e-mail address and click “Subscribe.”

 

For information specific to the Three Degree Road Intersection Project, visit www.penndot.pa.gov.

 

Work on the Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection Project has slowed during the winter season; however, utility relocation will continue.

 

This month, overhead utility work will resume along Route 228 in front of MHY Family Services and Mars Area Primary Center, says Tina Gibbs, PennDOT community relations officer. Work to relocate a gas line along Brickyard Road is also expected.

 

As weather permits, earthwork will continue behind Mars Area High School to prepare for the new “Milky Way” access road, which will connect the school’s western parking areas directly to a future traffic circle on Three Degree Road. The access road is expected to be completed by Fall 2023.

 

This overall safety improvement project is designed to provide better and safer traffic flow throughout the area with the addition of turning lanes, side road improvements, guide rail upgrades, signal replacements, signage and pavement markings, sidewalks, ADA ramps, and two traffic circles. The Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection project is anticipated to be fully completed in November 2026.

 

Throughout the construction project, Mars Area School District is working in cooperation with PennDOT to provide updates and information regarding the project. To receive news and updates on current and future PennDOT District 10 projects, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/District10. In the right-hand column, scroll down to “Subscribe to District 10 News,” enter your e-mail address and click “Subscribe.”

 

For information specific to the Three Degree Road Intersection Project, visit www.penndot.pa.gov.

 

Work on the Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection Project is continuing into the fall season.

 

Throughout the summer months, crews continued earthwork and drainage work near Officer Edward Brooks Drive on Route 228 (East) as well as along a new township road that runs parallel to Route 228 (West) on its southern side, says Tina Gibbs, PennDOT community relations officer.

 

In September and October, construction crews will begin paving the township road, which will connect to Route 228 at a new signalized intersection at the newly completed Gables Court extension. The Gables Court connector remains closed at this time.

 

No changes to traffic patterns are expected during this work; however, crews recently installed a temporary concrete barrier on the southern shoulder of Route 228 (between Marland Drive and the Gables Court connector) to provide additional protection from ongoing earthwork in the area.

 

Moving forward, work will continue on the construction of a retaining wall on the south side of Route 228, across from the Adams Area Fire District Firehouse. And, tree removal and utility relocation will continue in and around the Route 228 corridor.

 

 

Beginning at 8 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, a new intersection will be open at Old State Route 8, where vehicles traveling east on Route 228 will be able to turn left onto the roadway. The intersection also includes a jughandle to enable vehicles to loop around and access westbound Route 228. No U-turns will be permitted at the intersection. Signs will be posted.

 

A new traffic signal, left turn lanes and a jughandle will also be in place at the intersection of Route 228 and Harbison Road/Park Road. At the intersection, vehicles travelling eastbound on Route 228 will be able to make a left turn onto Harbison Road and the jughandle will enable traffic to access westbound Route 228. No U-turns will be permitted.

 

A left-turn lane will be in place for westbound Route 228 motorists to access Park Road; however, the roadway will be closed from 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 7, through Saturday, Oct. 21, as crews begin work to realign the roadway and connect it to the newly constructed portion of Route 228. Work will include grading, paving and new guardrail and signage and a detour will be posted.

 

 

The overall safety improvement projects are designed to provide better and safer traffic flow throughout the area with the addition of turning lanes, side road improvements, guide rail upgrades, signal replacements, signage and pavement markings, sidewalks, ADA ramps, and two traffic circles. The Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection project is anticipated to be fully completed in November 2026.

 

Throughout the construction project, Mars Area School District is working in cooperation with PennDOT to provide updates and information regarding the project.

 

To receive news and updates on current and future PennDOT District 10 projects, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/District10. In the right-hand column, scroll down to “Subscribe to District 10 News,” enter your e-mail address and click “Subscribe.”

 

For information specific to the Three Degree Road Intersection Project, visit www.penndot.pa.gov.

 

PennDOT crews are continuing work on the Route 228/Three Degree Road Intersection Project, which is part of the overall Route 228 Corridor Improvement Project that stretches from the Mars Railroad Bridge in Adams Township to Balls Bend in Middlesex Township.

 

Since the start of the project in April, crews have erected temporary protective fencing near Mars Area School District’s schools and have started clearing trees and relocating utilities in the areas where future road construction and earthwork will take place.

 

More specifically, crews are pre-paring for the construction of a new jug handle and access road that will provide “offline” driveway access to homes on the south side of Route 228 between Marland Drive and Brickyard Road as well as for a new “Gables Court” roadway, connecting Route 228 and Brickyard Road.

 

Crews have also cleared trees behind Mars Area High School, where a new “Milky Way” access road will be constructed this summer to connect the school’s western parking areas directly to a future traffic circle on Three Degree Road. The access road is expected to be completed by Fall 2023.

 

Also of note, crews have removed trees on the north side of Officer Edward Brooks Drive to make way for a fill project that will provide additional athletic field space at Mars Area Centennial School.

 

And, crews are preparing for drainage work and road construction along Officer Brooks Drive, near the access road’s intersection with Route 228. Beginning in June, the southern portion of Officer Brooks Drive will be temporarily closed and access to the District’s softball fields will only be available via the Mars Area Centennial School campus. (A detour will be posted.)

 

Throughout the summer and into the fall, additional work will include sewer line relocation as well as the construction of a new jughandle roadway at Marland Drive. Work will also continue on the construction of a retaining wall on the south side of Route 228 between the Mars Railroad Bridge and Marland Drive (across from the Adams Area Fire District Firehouse).

 

The overall safety improvement project is designed to provide better and safer traffic flow through the area with the addition of turning lanes, side road improvements, guide rail upgrades, signal replacements, signage and pavement markings, sidewalks, ADA ramps, and two roundabouts. The project is anticipated to be fully completed in November 2026.

 

Throughout the construction project, Mars Area School District will be working in cooperation with PennDOT to provide updates and information regarding the project. To receive news and updates on current and future PennDOT District 10 projects, visit www.penndot.pa.gov/District10. In the right-hand column, scroll down to “Subscribe to District 10 News,” enter your e-mail address and click “Subscribe.”

 

For information specific to the Three Degree Road Intersection Project, visit www.penndot.pa.gov.