Cranberry supervisors should be prepared to tackle the issue of the Freedom Road bottleneck by spring.

A time line for discussion of a master plan for the corridor between Route 19 on the east and Beaver County on the west is taking shape.

Township planner John Trant Jr. told supervisors that notices will be sent in November to property owners and business owners with a stake in the project, as well as township and highway officials.

Supervisors decided in September to establish a transportation and land use planning process that would focus on three key zones in the corridor and would involve three study committees. The three areas are at Haine School Road, Parkwood/Valley Force drives; and Powell Road.

Under discussion for decades, the latest approach to what was called the Crows Run problem was abandoned in the late 1990s following months of discussion among municipalities in the region. Crows Run referred to the corridor between Route 65 in Beaver County and Route 19 in Cranberry, Zelienople and Marshall.

Mr. Trant said a general public meeting would be held in December, followed by individual committee meetings then a presentation to the township's planning advisory committee. He said he anticipates all of the committees -- the planning committee as well as the three community committees -- would meet in March. He expects the planning committee to make a recommendation to the township supervisors in April and supervisors will discuss the issue in May to reach a final conclusion on a plan.