OIL CITY, Pa. – Officials at PennDOT District 1 announced today that the Route 8 Asset Management and Corridor Improvement Study has been refined to focus only on four-lane options for the roadway.

According to a release issued this afternoon by PennDOT District 1, the decision was made after compiling input before, during and after an initial public meeting in February, and considering the costs of proposed alternatives for the highway.

PennDOT is studying options to best manage and improve Route 8 (Richard Frame Memorial Highway) in Venango County between the intersection with Georgetown Road in Irwin Township and DeBence Drive in Sandycreek Township, a distance of about 10.5 miles.

The purpose of the study is to identify existing issues related to Route 8, including: existing and future traffic operations, safety, corridor deficiencies, roadway and bridge conditions, support of planning initiatives, and support of the regional economy.

One of the alternatives discussed involved converting Route 8 to a two-lane roadway.

“With the costs of converting to two lanes versus replacing the existing four lanes fairly equal, it is sensible to focus the remaining stages of the study on improving the existing corridor,” said Tom McClelland, P.E., PennDOT project manager for the study. “We received a lot of valuable input from the public at the February 8 meeting in regards to how motorists use the corridor and possible enhancements that could be made.”

The final stage of the study will focus on rebuilding the four-lane section of the highway in a manner that minimizes costs, maintains open lanes of traffic during construction, offers an effective pavement design, and supports the economic initiatives of the region.

A final public meeting on the results of the study will be held in early June 2018.

Michael Baker International is the consultant assisting PennDOT with the study.

Information presented at the first public meeting, including basic cost estimates for different construction options, is available on the PennDOT District 1 website, www.penndot.gov/district1.