Years-long construction on Atherton Street in State College will soon end, according to PennDOT.
Work on the current phase of the Atherton Street project, which began in 2022, is expected to conclude by the first week in November, the state transportation department wrote in a news release on Friday.
Round-the-clock milling and paving work that has been ongoing for the last two weeks between Curtin Road and West Beaver Avenue will be completed Friday (Oct. 11) night. Contractor HRI, Inc. will complete the remaining work during daylight hours with flaggers directing vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
Beginning Monday, Oct. 14, crews will begin pavement marking, installing highway lighting, upgrading traffic signals, sidewalk work, installing park benches and trash bins and planting street trees.
“While PennDOT expects traffic impacts to be far less significant than in the early stages of the project, it reminds drivers to anticipate some delays as they may encounter crews working throughout the work zone,” according to the release.
The current phase of Atherton Street construction stretches from Curtin Road to just past Westerly Parkway. Overall work on the $32 million project includes roadway reconstruction, drainage improvements, water and sewer lines, concrete curbing, sidewalks and detectable warning surfaces, pavement markings and traffic signals and supports.
It’s the third phase of Atherton Street work originating from a 2010 review of the entire corridor that showed a need for repairs and upgrades, primarily for drainage. The first two phases covered North Atherton Street from its start near Gray’s Woods to Park Avenue.
PennDOT is developing plans for a final phase of Atherton Street reconstruction from Westerly Parkway to University Drive, but motorists will have a reprieve for at least a few years. No plans have been finalized and the earliest that work would begin is 2028, PennDOT representatives told State College Borough in February.
