Mercer County, Pa. - Work to improve the a bike route in Mercer County is expected to begin soon.

According to a press release, work to improve the bicycle and pedestrian route on both sides of the new Kelly Road Bridge in Hermitage and Sharpsville are set to begin July 15.

The improvements will consist of the milling and paving of about a half mile of roadway, adding signs, updated line painting and upgrades to the drainage with pipe repairs and bicycle-friendly inlets.

On the Hermitage side of the project, work will be done on about 1,050 feet of roadway from the Kelly Road Bridge to the entrance to the Mahaney Recreational Area and Dam.

Meanwhile in Sharpsville, work will be done on about 2,000 feet of East High Street from North Walnut Street to the Erie Canal Walkway Park.

The project will be paid for through a combination of local money and a $395,000 grant from the federal Surface Transportation Unit (STU) program. Work in Hermitage will be funded through a $462,725 STU grant.

Lindy Paving of New Galilee, PA has been contracted to work on this project.

No detours are expected in this project, but drivers may encounter lane restrictions with traffic being controlled by flaggers.