Detour Scheduled for Patton Township Intersection Work

A detour will be in place starting next week as work advances on the reconstruction of a Patton Township intersection.

Beginning Wednesday, May 19, Bernel Road will be closed at its intersection with Fox Hill Road, according to PennDOT. The detour, which 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 will take place on Monday and Tuesday. 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.