Four road improvement projects in Centre County will receive a combined $859,069 in state grants approved Monday by the Commonwealth Financing Authority.
The Multimodal Transportation Fund grants, administered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development, will support projects in Benner, Boggs and Patton townships.
In Benner Township, Ferris Land Development LP was awarded $250,000 for realignment and enhancements of Spring Valley Road along the Shiloh Road corridor.
“The realignment of Spring Valley Road in Benner Township, near the Shiloh Road exit on I-99, is a key piece of a much larger effort to redevelop and upgrade the Shiloh Road corridor and surrounding areas between the bypass and the Nittany Mall,” state Rep. Paul Takac, D-College Township, said in a statement.
Ron Ferris, the CEO of Bobby Rahal Automotive Group and owner of Ferris Land Development, said in 2023 that he was looking two develop two parcels totaling 61 acres on each side of Shiloh Road in the area of Spring Valley Road. Part of the property, he said at the time, would be used to relocate Rahal’s State College Honda and Lewistown Lexus dealerships, and he suggested the remainder might be acquired by an unnamed big-box store.
At the time Ferris was seeking a tax abatement program from the State College Area School District for a portion of the properties to assist with the cost of basic infrastructure for the site. No formal presentation has been given since that introductory overview to the State College school board and no further plans for the site have been disclosed.
Patton Township, meanwhile, received two grants totaling $390,375.
A $283,500 grant will be used for pedestrian safety and pavement improvements on Valley Vista Drive.
“Funding for the Valley Vista Drive project will support milling work, removal and replacement of deteriorating pavement and the addition of curb and sidewalk improvements to ensure accessibility at crossings,” state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township, said.
The township also will receive $106,875 for roadway improvements on North Oak Lane. The project is a continuation of previous road rehabilitation on North Oak Lane and the new work will focus on the area between Douglas Drive and Highland Drive, Conklin said.
“Funding for the North Oak Lane project will support work to repair and rehabilitate aging roadway and stormwater infrastructure in Park Forest Village,” Conklin said.
“Both projects will bring safer, smoother travel for residents.”
Boggs Township was awarded $218,694 to complete the Curtin Hollow Road improvement project, according to Takac.
The project, according to minutes from a Centre County Planning Commission in June 2024, will reduce the elevation of a curve, eliminate the S-curve and repair sections subject to slope failure. The improvements will “result in a smoother transition in and out of the curve, enhancing vehicle safety on Curtin Hollow Road.”
