That was one of the more interesting developments to come out of the public open house held by PennDOT and Michael Baker International (MBI) Tuesday at Franklin Junior/Senior High School.

Max Heckman of MBI said that the utility corridor, which could carry fiber-optic lines and other utilities, was the one part of the two-lane concepts that people seemed in favor of when presented with the idea earlier in the year.

Therefore, considering the strong approval of it with the hopes of bringing faster internet to Venango County, the corridor will continue to be part of the four-lane project.

“We are securing room in the right-a-way, about 10 feet, for a private/public partnership for broadband and other utilities,” Heckman said. “It may take years to develop the partnerships, but this allows that to happen.”