Bernel Road Detour Delayed Until Thursday

The start of a planned detour that will be in place for reconstruction of Patton Township intersection has been delayed by one day, according to PennDOT.

Beginning Thursday, Bernel Road will be closed at its intersection with Fox Hill Road.

The detour — which was originally scheduled to begin Wednesday and will be in place until at least June 4 — will use Fox Hill Road, South Fillmore Road and Buffalo Run Road/Route 550.

Prior to the detour, paving was also delayed by one day and is now taking place Tuesday and Wednesday. Drivers should expect travel delays during that time, with flagging and alternating traffic patterns in place.

Work on the project began last August and, after shutting down for the winter, resumed in April.

When completed, the intersection of Bernel and Fox Hill Roads — located about 1.5 miles from University Park Airport — will be reconfigured as a “standard T,” with a stop sign on the Bernel Road approach and Fox Hill Road as the through-road. Dedicated left turn lanes will be added on both roads.

As currently configured, the intersection is termed a non-standard T. Eastbound and left-turning traffic on Fox Hill and right turning traffic on Bernel have right of way over westbound through traffic on Fox Hill.

The $1.5 million project is a public-private partnership, with funding coming from a $700,000 state grant awarded in November 2019, $150,000 from the township, and the remaining $650,000 from the developers of the Bernel Road tract that includes the Nittany Valley Sports Centre.

The reconstruction is expected to make for safer and more efficient travel for vehicles traveling to and from University Park Airport and bicyclists using the road, as well as supporting mixed-use development at the northwest corner of the intersection.

HRI Inc. of State College is the contractor on the project.